When employees return to the office after two years of working from home, they’re preparing to give up one key thing they’ve gained during the pandemic: control.Working from home gives employees complete control over their office environment, from choosing where they want to work from home, to managing lighting and sound levels, to setting the temperature to what works best for them.
While some companies may think the key to getting employees excited about returning to the office are amenities like gyms and cafes, handing some control back to them could have a bigger impact.According to a survey of more than 1,600 employees in North America, they want more than just fancy perks, but also better air quality, natural light and the ability to personalize their workspaces.
“For today’s office worker, it’s all about personalization and control,” said William Turcan, principal owner of Smart Glass Technologies.”They want to work in the environment that works best for them, and the only way they can do that is by putting them in the driver’s seat.”
Turcan’s company, Smart Glass Technologies, offers a solution that helps businesses provide these three features that employees most want from the office.The company has installed Smart Film on the windows of offices, healthcare facilities and other properties across the country.Once installed, the film turns traditional windows into windows that block 98% of harmful UV rays and 95% of infrared radiation, and they can be adjusted from clear to opaque and a variety of shades in between.
Once an office has Smart Film installed, Turcan says, it gives employees full control over the windows, not only through switches and dimmers installed throughout the office, but also through employees’ smartphones.
“Just by unlocking the phone, employees can adjust the brightness of nearby windows,” Turcan said.”The windows can be made opaque to maximize privacy, or they can choose to make them more transparent to bring in more natural light.”
Giving office workers on-demand access to natural light can bring benefits beyond employee satisfaction.The OSHA said employees who sat near a window were more likely to be at work and were more productive throughout the day than those who sat under artificial light.Exposure to natural light can also help people sleep better and may improve eye health.
“It’s not just about convenience,” Turcan said.”It’s about health and productivity.”
He added that the smart film eliminates the need for blinds or curtains to help control light, making windows easier to clean and removing airborne dust that may collect on windows.
In 2020, Smart Glass installed Switchable Smart Film at Allstate Insurance offices in New Jersey, providing additional privacy options and reducing energy costs in the company’s meeting rooms.Turcan says Smart Film is proven to minimize the impact of outside temperatures on the interior of an office, helping offices save on heating and cooling costs.The company installed a total of 200 square feet of Smart Film in the Allstate office, and the entire job took only two days.
“Our team can quickly install Smart Film with little disruption to the company’s day-to-day activities,” Turcan said.
Another company came to Smart Glass to ask if Smart Film could be installed in an entire office in less than a week.Turcan said the company is on the verge of a major deal, and it wants to install Smart Film so its potential partners can see that it’s a company that keeps up with the latest innovations.
“It’s something that gets people’s attention and can be used as a huge marketing tool,” he said.”For the company, the benefits are endless.”
This feature is a collaboration between Studio B and Smart Glass Technologies.Bisnow news staff were not involved in the production of this content.
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