When workers left their offices at the start of the pandemic, few could have imagined how dramatically the workplace would change in the years that followed. The American office has undergone a major transformation, with remote and hybrid work becoming the norm. More than half of U.S. workers with remote-capable jobs follow a hybrid schedule, and among Fortune 100 companies, employees are spending an average of just 3.74 days per week in the office.
This shift has allowed organizations to significantly reduce their real estate footprint. U.S. office inventory has already shrunk by more than 10 million square feet and is projected to lose another 40 million square feet by the end of the decade.
To make better use of their remaining space, many companies have renovated and reconfigured their offices to support these flexible work patterns, while reducing the average space allocation per employee—from 292 square feet to just 205 square feet. While these renovations have allowed companies to quickly respond to shifting trends, the pace at which the changes were implemented left little room for comprehensive planning—and that has created new challenges for the professionals responsible for keeping buildings clean, comfortable, and running efficiently.
Overloaded HVAC systems
Today’s hybrid offices are designed to do more with less. Fewer desks, smaller floorplans, and increased use of shared spaces appear here to stay. However, HVAC systems were sized for the old layout and headcount. Now, with more people in less space, systems struggle to keep up with demand, especially on peak in-person workdays, leading to poor airflow and temperature regulation. This results in stuffy offices, hot and cold spots and, ultimately, employee complaints.
Beyond comfort, these inefficiencies can increase energy consumption and even shorten equipment lifespan. While problems may not be noticeable at the start and end of the week when building occupancy is low, they create headaches as occupancy levels surge mid-week.
Midweek surges mean that restrooms, break areas, and meeting spaces get heavily used within short windows of time, while Monday and Fridays may see large portions of the building underused. This pattern impacts cleaning staff needs and, if not managed properly, perceptions of building cleanliness.
Cleaning teams are finding that more agile practices are necessary to adjust to these new demands without overextending personnel.
The invisible contributor to comfort and health
Air quality plays a quiet but critical role in how clean, comfortable, and healthy an office is for its occupants. And while office retrofits intended to modernize and improve the environment, ironically, these changes have unintentionally led to a decline in indoor air quality (IAQ).
Denser spaces mean higher carbon dioxide levels. New furnishings and building materials release volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Poor ventilation can cause increased levels of particulate matter (PM). Together, these factors detrimentally affect IAQ and have a measurable impact on the well-being of building occupants. Studies have shown that indoor air pollution can impair cognitive function and productivity. Viruses are more easily transmitted and allergies and respiratory irritation can worsen in buildings with poor IAQ, leading to increased absenteeism.
Beyond health, unmanaged IAQ can lead to unpleasant odors from breakrooms and restrooms, and buildup of dust on surfaces.
For facility managers and cleaning and maintenance teams, improving IAQ bridges the gap between comfort, efficiency, and sustainability, transforming it from an invisible concern to a measurable operational advantage.
Managing the modern office environment
Fortunately, today’s challenges don’t require a full overhaul of systems or the office layout itself. Rather, by making targeted updates and tightening coordination across departments, facility maintenance teams can ensure office spaces are cleaner, operate more efficiently, and support the well-being of the hybrid workforce.
Consider the following practices:
- Monitor occupancy and air quality trends. Collect data to determine the most crucial periods of building occupancy using badge swipes or observation trends. Install air quality sensors to identify pollutant levels in the air.
- Match cleaning schedules to traffic. Concentrate cleaning crews during midweek surges and scale back labor during low-occupancy days. Implement periodic employee surveys to gather information about perceptions of building cleanliness and comfort.
- Recalibrate HVAC systems. Ensure that systems are adjusted to match the needs of today’s building occupancy patterns. Optimize ventilation rates and install the highest-rated filters the system can support.
- Utilize an air quality management (AQM) system. Today’s advanced AQM systems are designed to work along with the HVAC system to optimize the quality of indoor air. By responding to data from integrated sensors, AQM systems can immediately respond to real-time air quality conditions and occupancy levels, activating zone-specific air purifiers. These scalable systems reduce HVAC system run-time and help to reduce energy costs, while supporting a healthier and more comfortable environment for building occupants.
Hybrid offices demand more from the teams that keep them running. Cleaning and maintenance professionals are navigating higher expectations and shifting schedules within spaces that weren’t originally designed for the new level of flexibility they require.
The good news is that even modest operational improvements can reduce employee complaints and improve the comfort and confidence of those who walk through the doors each day.
