It’s Valentine’s Day, love is in the air—partners, friends, family—but how about for employees and facility users? A 2024 workplace survey reveals that 59% of companies are currently mandating or encouraging their employees to spend more time in-office. Strengthening company culture emerged as the top reason behind the push for employees to return to the physical office full time, with 46% admitting they believe workers perform better in the office. But, a part of fostering a productive and unified company culture is incentivizing returning to the office and prioritizing employee needs and wants. Mandating a return to the office will get employees through the door, but will it convince them to stay?
With Valentine’s Day upon us, Facility Executive rounded up a list of products that can show love and appreciation to your facility and employees.
Indoor Air Quality
Fellowes’ Array Air Quality System
The first thing you encounter when entering a space is the air you breathe. Fellowes’ Array is a networked air quality system that combines the benefits of standalone purifiers, HVAC, and monitoring systems to detect and improve indoor air quality (IAQ).
Viewpoint, its cloud-based software, provides complete, real-time air quality data anywhere, on any device and includes the ability to schedule maintenance tasks, measure and track air quality, and adjust units in real time. Fellowes’ patented EnviroSmart+ Technology automatically senses real-time conditions and proactively responds to make sure clean air is always available.
It is equipped with hospital-grade H13 True HEPA filtration that is 99.95% effective in capturing contaminants as small as 0.1 microns, including viruses, allergens, and pollutants. The system features an integrated suite of IAQ sensors to monitor a space, including particulates (PM10, PM2.5), occupancy, temperature, pressure, humidity (RH), carbon dioxide (CO2), and TVOCs.
Green Rooftop Design
Outdoor access is among the most desired workplace amenities ranked by employees. Yet, many building professionals are unable to extend their exterior footprint as land availability becomes increasingly scarce throughout many regions. In fact, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that 6,000 acres of open land are lost daily to development. This lack of ground-level space has inspired some to look upwards as rooftops are redefined to provide the outdoor access that is valued by today’s workforce.
Creating a plan that emphasizes occupant comfort, technician access, and aesthetic design is critical to achieving successful rooftop activation:
- The traditional rooftop design is often used to house critical equipment such as HVAC components, solar panels, and water towers. Rooftop screens are a low-maintenance solution that can be used to conceal equipment without hindering their performance or access necessary for maintenance.
- Creating a rooftop environment that is optimized as a workspace requires intentional spatial planning and protection from the elements. Architectural cabanas and partition screens can provide shade, noise control and privacy, and help to divide open space into functional zones.
- Biophilic design can further enhance employee well-being and create an attractive atmosphere on the rooftop. When planted in containers, trees, shrubbery, grasses, and florals can be used to further divide zones throughout the space, create areas of privacy, and support noise control.
Used strategically, these components can create an enjoyable and productive rooftop environment.
Office Design
Teknion’s Hoodie Screen
Embrace a new level of privacy and comfort in the workplace, with Teknion’s Hoodie Screen, drawing inspiration from the cozy appeal of a casual hoodie. The Smooth Felt Hoodie Screen is a softly curved enclave designed for easy attachment to the back and lateral edge of a work surface, ensuring seamless integration with your desk setup. It creates a little huddle space that feels private yet welcoming, while still offering enough visibility to prevent any surprises when someone approaches the desk.
The screen is made of PET felt which quiets one’s surroundings as well as brings accent color into a space. The felt is available flat or patterned to fit any interior style.
Maverick Desk’s Apex Series
Maverick Desk’s Apex series introduced a multi-person sit to stand desk workstation. These workstations not only provide an alternative to traditional cubicles, but they also address the sedentary lifestyle that naturally comes with office work.
The Apex Series features height adjustable tables, modular pieces and over 20 color options for finishes, modesty panels and tackboards. The workstations sit three to eight people within a group. Credenzas, private storage, L-shaped desks plus a variety of privacy screens make up the over 80 pieces that offer a fully customizable set up. The open design allows for more natural collaboration and natural light while at the same time maintaining semi-private spaces for periods of deep, focused work.
Z-Bar Desk & Floor Lamp By Koncept Lighting
Koncept Lighting’s Z-Bar Desk and Floor Lamp is a modern lamp design that aims to turn a traditionally utilitarian office piece into a conversation piece. The minimalist and geometric lamps come standard in silver and black, but many of the models offer eye-catching light changing colors, such as reds, purples and greens. It also features dimming capabilities. The Z-Bar’s LED lights reduce energy use by 75%, and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent lighting, checking the energy-efficiency and environmentally-friendly boxes.
Anthros’ Chair
The Anthros task chair is a science-backed ergonomic chair designed to be comfortable, while also guaranteeing improved posture, pain prevention and elimination, and maximized productivity.
Research shows that poor posture is associated with chronic pain, fatigue, injury, depression, poor vision, poor digestion, poor circulation, dysfunctional breathing, and even shortened life expectancy. On the contrary, good posture is highly correlated to confidence, success, and longevity. The concept for Anthros was born out of working with wheelchair users who either thrive or suffer according to the slightest modifications in their seating. Leveraging this singular edge and rich experience, they developed a science-backed, evidence-based, research-focused design for an office chair.
Bathrooms
Bradley’s Elvari Washroom Accessories
Bradley Company’s Elvari Washroom Accessories Collection is a complete suite of stainless steel accessories designed for commercial washroom spaces. The collection features easy-to-read refill indicators, a Bradlock magnetic locking system, a Wall Saver anti-slam operation, easy-feed towels, and touchless soap dispensers and hand dryers.
Featuring a modern, minimalist euro style pill-shape design with smooth curves and soft edges, the collection integrates restrooms’ handwashing and toilet areas while making them more functional. With over 650 individual products, Elvari offers a wide range of commercial accessories, such as grab bars, paper and soap dispensers, waste receptacles, LED mirrors, hooks, shelves and more. Models are available in many sizes, capacities and mounting styles to fit the needs of any restroom. In addition to satin finish stainless steel, Elvari models are available in five popular colors using an exclusive color-coating process for consistency and high durability. These new finishes are easy to clean and resist fingerprints, stains and corrosion to ensure long-lasting beauty.
WaveCrest Sensor Faucet Line By T&S
T&S Brass and Bronze Works’ WaveCrest line of commercial sensor faucets are designed to meet the needs of contemporary office buildings, restaurants, hotels and conference centers, colleges and universities, and public venues like airports and stadiums.
WaveCrest is offered in various designs with single- and three-hole mount options, each with a choice of polished chrome, brushed nickel or fingerprint-resistant matte black finishes, and standard or medical heights.
Unicorn’s Period Care Products
Changing tables in men’s rooms and hand sanitizer stations are considered standard, yet period product availability in restrooms are not. Unicorn is an organization committed to empowering and providing people with period care products, and to making sure that feminine care products are offered in all modern restroom facilities.
In the U.S. alone, one in four girls and women have missed school or work because they lacked access to period products. Several countries and states have already passed legislation requiring public buildings to carry free period products, and companies that get ahead of the mandate and advocate will come out on top.
Amenities
Bevi’s Touchless Beverage Dispenser
Bevi’s smart water coolers with still and sparkling flavors for commercial spaces, feature a touchless dispensing capability that provides users with a means access water without using the machine’s touchscreen. Users no longer need to touch a water cooler, or to touch a refrigerator door to grab a single-use water bottle, and can instead dispense instantly via smartphone cameras or QR code scanner apps. From there, users can explore ingredients and select from all of the customization options including still or sparkling water, flavor choice, and flavor strength as well as options of electrolytes and natural caffeine by investigating Vitamin C and additional immunity offerings. The feature can be added to any existing Bevi machine with an internet connection just by pushing a software update.
By keeping these products and ideas in mind, you can show love and appreciation for employees this Valentine’s Day, and every day.
