Keith Chanter, CEO of EMCOR UK, gives his response to a research finding that mental health issues affect almost 15 per cent of employees in their workplace, and cause 13 per cent of all sick days.

Employee wellbeing, mental health and productivity in the workplace are unquestionably intertwined. Whilst it's encouraging to see that businesses are starting to support better mental health and wellbeing, it's important to acknowledge the role that building environmental conditions and ergonomics play in enhancing the wellbeing and performance (or working lives) of people and workplaces.

Facilities Management (FM) specialists operate at the very heart of buildings and are in a unique position to understand what is going on; and to influence and improve the wellbeing and performance of workers who occupy them.

High CO2 levels in buildings, for example, have a direct and negative impact on human cognition and decision making. If they are not monitored, businesses cannot make the incremental changes needed to ensure employees operate at their optimal performance throughout the day. FM specialists are able to capture complex, real time environmental data and information from buildings, and advise their customers about priority investment areas that will improve the performance and wellbeing of the people that occupy them.

By optimising building environments and ergonomics, along with improved workplace health and wellbeing policies, businesses will start to see a marked improvement in the mental health and wellbeing of employees - and their bottom line.