The stale air in your office building is affecting your performance

The stale air in your bro building is affecting your performanceThe stale air in your geschftszimmer building is affecting your performanceDear Reader, I write this story on top of and next to indoor chemical contaminants that are slowly killing office workers across America.These killers are commonly known as a carpet, a copy machine or a dry erase board. All three killers surround my desk And probably yours Take a deep breath.New research has confirmed that stale office air and chemical contaminants are hurting workershealth. Now, try breathing that out.Good air makes you better at your jobThis is what the Harvard Business Review concluded in its March article on how office air quality could affect workers cognitive performance. They found that all other factors being equal with workers s of VOCs can be as innocuous as a dry erase marker, dry cleaned clothes, carpeting and copy machines.Chronic exposure to VOCs has been linked to more serious sicknesses like cancer and liver damage .At the end of each day, the researchers would give the workers a cognitive test to test the link between air quality and how well people worked.They found that increasing air quality was most helpful to improving areas that tested how workers used information to make strategic decisions and how they plan, stay prepared, and strategize during crises.No wonder the happiest people are those who spend four workdays a week outside the office.Sick building syndromeTheres a medical condition for this sick building syndrome.It refers to a situation where you notice that your comfort and health is linked to the time spent in a building.Have you noticed that its literally easier for you to breathe when youre outside the office? Do persistent headaches with no specific cause go away once you leave your desk? Thats not just stress. You may be experiencing SBS.Worse its pretty common.A 1984 World Health Organization Committee report foundthat up to 30% of new buildings could be causing this, us ually due to buildings being operated in a different way than their original design intended. In the 1970s, U.S. buildings were made increasingly airtight to improve energy efficiency. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of our health.Mood, mental function and good airNumerous studieshavefoundlinks between clean air and health and mental benefits. In Chicago, one researcher found that installing a ventilation system up to federal standards in 81 low-income houses made a significant impact in those households. Children were breathing easier and adults had less psychological distress. In a separate test, the researchers in the HBR article compared workers in green certification buildings with workers in non-certified buildings across 10 U.S. buildings. Workers in green certified buildings were generally more satisfied with their office air. They were less likely to report that their office wastoo hot or too cold, or the their indoor air was too dry or too humid. Workers in green cert ified,comfortable indoorconditionswould also perform better on decision-making tests.With all the benefits to clean air, the HBR researchers suggest that we should rethink clean air as a human resource tool. So next time, youre interviewing for a job, after you ask about vacation time and benefits, ask about what your employer is doing to improve office air quality.

5 Toxic Company Culture Warning Signs

5 Toxic Company Culture Warning Signs5 Toxic Company Culture Warning SignsPinWouldnt it be great to have a crystal ball that enables seeing what daily life would be like if you accepted a lage with an employer of interest? Unfortunately, no such thing exists, so candidates need to rely on their gut instincts, do their homework, and look for certain red flags when assessing whether an employer of interest potentially has a toxic company culture.Spend some time thoughtfully reflecting on information and details to which you are privy. If any of these five warning signs come up, you might be headed toward a toxic workplace.Five Toxic Company Culture Warning Signs1. It has a negative online presence.Of course you cant believe everything you read on the Internet. However, if the posts written on workplace review sites continually point to trouble without much said on the positive side, take heed that dissatisfaction extends beyond one or two disgruntled employees.Search, too, for what cus tomers say about the company. A business that isnt responsive and respectful to those it serves is unlikely to treat its workers much better.2. You only meet the interviewer.Would the prospect of working with intelligent, welcoming team members increase the odds that you take a position? Most candidates would definitely say yes. So being hustled into an interview room without a tour or failing to be introduced to anyone on staff may signal that the company doesnt trust its employees to sell the place or make a good impression.3. You receive mediocre answers to questions.Employees who are excited about their workplace will be happy to give thorough answers when you ask them questions such as Whats your favorite part of your job? or What do you feel makes this company special? Being met with blank stares or cursory responses can be a sign that people dont have much to be happy about there.4. Something seems wrong.Walking into a place where you can hear a boss yelling or see exhausted- looking workers hovering in solitude over keyboards provides clear reason to proceed with caution. But not every undesirable workplace screams toxic. Just because you cant put your handglied on what makes you uneasy doesnt mean you should discount what you feel. Trust your gut- its probably right.5. You feel at their mercy.Finally, remember that the recruiting stage is a time when a company should be doing everything it can to impress you. If the prospective employer puts you through endless hoops, fails to respond adequately to your questions, doesnt get back to you when promised, ignores your emails, cant provide straightforward information on duties or salary, or presses too hard or too fast during negotiations, what makes you think youll be treated any better later? Consider poor courting as a warning of a bad relationship to come.Know someone looking for a job? Refer a friend to with this link- youll get a month free service and theyll get 30% off

Robots Make Self-Repairing Cities Possible

Robots Make Self-Repairing Cities Possible Robots Make Self-Repairing Cities Possible Robots Make Self-Repairing Cities PossibleHow many times have you thought, When are they going to fix that pothole? Or, When are they finally going to get to that streetlamp? The Self-Repairing Cities Project, an initiative involving multiple UK universities, is out to make these questions a thing of the past as they seek to make every city in the UK self-repairing, with the help of robots, by 2050.Phil Purnell, director of the project, says to think of the project in terms of robots taking care of the city rather than taking over. You need to remember it isnt just the time were trying to save. There can be dangerous work involved, says Purnell, a professor of civil engineering at Leeds University. Better a robot gets harmed than a human.One key component of the project is having flying drones look for defects from the air. For the drones part in fixing potholes, for example, they would either fly o r go along the road and would detect defects. And then the robot equipped with a 3D printer would inject material to fill in the road, Purnell says. Its about keeping the small problems from getting big.Engineers konzeption surveillance drones (A) and repair drones with 3D printers that patch road defects before they become potholes (B). Image The Self-Repairing Cities ProjectFor You How Industry 4.0 Impacts Engineering DesignThe project is comprehensive and envisions many different types of robots working on the many different needs of a city marine robots for riverbank and sewer inspections, robots with 3D printers to fill potholes, and more.Another focus of the project is making sure all robotics goals take into account the possible economic and social effects.The thought is that new technology increases productivity, ultimately leading to capital and value, which helps for profits and jobs, he says. But those arent words that ease the mind of someone who is laid off. We have a s hortage of skilled infrastructure people and we have to have it come across that this isnt a recipe for people losing their jobs. Instead of being in these dangerous jobs, these skilled people can instead do more complex and more creative infrastructure jobs that we need.With its final goal so many years in the future, it will likely depend on multiple generations to see it over the schliff line.Its a long haul but we think it can happen partly because of the enthusiasm weve seen, Purnell says. So many people are on board with this, seeing it as a natural extension of the technology of today. Think how much is automated and soon will be. Self-driving cars are going to become prevalent, why shouldnt this?The team, along with several consortiums, persuaded the UK government to make a major investment. Present overall funding at around 130 million pounds. A short-term goal is for the project, which started in 2016, to have the robots working well and performing in-field demonstrations in 2021.We make it clear this is not developed in secret to be inflicted on people we want the peoples view of robots roaming around this ecosystem to be positive, he says. This is in a spirit which isnt about generating intellectual property but about openness and getting people to think what it would mean to have autonomous systems in their infrastructure.Eric Butterman is an independent writer.Read More3D Printing a Future of New Metal ActuatorsAn Engineering Education Should Never EndSafety and Efficiency, Brick by Brick For Further DiscussionThink how much is automated and soon will be. Self-driving cars are going to become prevalent, why shouldnt this? Phil Purnell, Director, The Self-Repairing Cities Project