The negative physiological effects of air pollution have been well documented among workers. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Elma Jiang realized some interesting facts about herself recently. A quick check of her personal accounts record on her phone reveals that she spends more money on junk food on days when she has what she calls "environment-related blues," and wants to release the stress by enjoying snacks.  

These feelings are closely associated with cloudy and fuggy days, or more specifically, when it is polluted.

"I munch on potato chips, puffed snacks and chocolates while making PowerPoint slides," said Jiang, who works in public relations.

She admits that the snacking slows her down from finishing her work.

"I also know some of my co-workers are more eager to leave the office to pick their children up from school [if the air is bad]," she said.

When it comes to how air pollution affects the working environment, many people know that the haze has become an important factor in individuals' career choices and the retention of talent.

There have been discussions about foreigners leaving the city in droves since 2013 because of the hazardous air.

However, the brain drain is not the only repercussion of the air pollution. Some employees have come to realize that both on a conscious and subconscious level, what they feel and do in the office is related to the air pollution.

Scientific research has found that pollution affects the work environment significantly, especially  employees' psychological status and work behavior.

Bad air triggers counterproductive behaviors.

Scientists want society to view air pollution in the context of management studies so that employers will take into account the influence it has on productivity.

They say the effects of air pollution in the workplace has long been neglected, and employers need to actively come up with positive solutions for their employees.

Experts encourage employers to take action to neutralize the negative effects that bad air may have on their employees. Photo: Li Hao/GT

 
Toxic work behavior

During a July 16 lecture on his report titled Polluted Work: A Self-Control Perspective on Air Pollution, Jack Chiang, assistant professor of organizational management at Peking University, spoke to both Chinese and foreigners, including management and employees.

"Past studies have mostly focused on the effects [of air pollution] on human bodies or psychological health, or how pollution affects economic growth overall or in certain industries," he said.

"We introduced [air pollution] to the studies of corporation management and we aim to provide guidance to companies."

The study is one of the first to have shown a link between air pollution and employee behavior in a scientific, persuasive way, based on standard, statistical data collection, said Chiang.

He and his colleagues collected the data from 155 individuals employed at nine different companies in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The participants completed a daily diary from Monday to Friday over two weeks, assessing their perceptions of air pollution severity and their work behavior.

Through data analysis, the study concludes that air pollution severity is strongly and positively related to self-control resource depletion in people, and influences people's daily behavior.

Examples of such counterproductive work behavior include complaining, compromised work performances, prioritizing personal matters during work hours, making fun of another employee and engaging in verbal aggression, according to Chiang.

Dealing with the 'air stress'

 According to Chiang's studies, an employee tends to feel bothered and tired when the air is bad, doesn't feel like helping out and wants to avoid unnecessary work.

They are more likely to engage in a variety of self-protection tactics to minimize their exposure to the bad air, said Chiang.

"Pollution puts great psychological pressure on people. You need to check the index frequently and think about outdoor activities and exercise plans, and you will have to remind yourself all the time how to coordinate your schedule [to avoid severely polluted hours]. "

The results of a 2011 study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that air pollution can be a source of psychological distress including anxiety and depression.

Chiang explained that when deprived of the capacity for self-control, individuals not only refrain from putting in any effort, they are also more likely to engage in a variety of impulsive behaviors that fulfill short-term desires.

These include eating unhealthy foods, overspending, drinking too much alcohol, and even taking recreational drugs.

Moreover, workplace tension could also be triggered by air pollution.

By way of example Chiang said what often happens in international companies is that foreigners might want to keep the windows shut with purifiers running, but many Chinese people would feel more comfortable if they could open the windows for ventilation once a while. This could lead to an inharmonious atmosphere in the office.

Flexible employers 

Cai Zhihong, general manager of Beijing Intcube Technology Inc. in Chaoyang district, told Metropolitan that he feels at a loss as to how to neutralize the negative effects of the bad air, other than the regular gestures such as offering purifiers, face masks and making the workplace environment more comfortable with good illumination and a casual atmosphere.

Cai said the influence and corresponding solutions to the pollution problem are closely connected to the type of jobs people do. Given that software engineering usually allows flexible work hours, it is a big advantage for his company, said Cai.

"When the situation is severe, and many people have a throat condition, I will tell employees to go home early or not to come to work."

"At our company, we don't keep record of when people arrive or leave the office. They can decide to work at home or come in late depending on their personal circumstances," said Cai.

"But jobs that require working outdoors are quite different. The pollution would greatly affect employees' health and mood."

"Even when I am dealing with the hardest work, I will be more motivated if I have a positive attitude on a clear day. The job will get done with less effort," said Violet Wang, 27, who works for a research institution.

She said that how she and her colleagues experience the air quality is closely connected to their productivity.

"When the sky is clear, our mood is good, too. People at the office will be happy and stress-free," she told Metropolitan.

Wang's office uses air purifiers every day, which Wang is not sure is fundamentally useful, but at least provides psychological comfort.

Air pollution is not limited to the horrible air quality index but also indoor pollutants, she said, and it's very important and much appreciated if employers are sympathetic and offer solutions.

"There have been renovations at the neighboring building and the paint has been giving off a pungent smell. Many of my co-workers' mood and health have been affected by it," she said.

"To protect our colleagues' health, the management gave us a temporary reprieve, allowing us two days to work at home. And we are quite satisfied with this solution."

In Cai's opinion, the influence of pollution can be felt not only in the workplace, but everywhere in our lives, such as the decision of whether and when to have children, or taking or leaving a job or not. The influence pollution has on daily work behavior is easily neglected.

"Maybe we don't think Beijing is very suitable to live, but it's a decision without choices. Start-ups can easily find engineers here in Beijing, and engineers have more job opportunities here too," he said.

"The quality of the air plays only a small part and is far from a deciding factor," he said.

"What a family, each individual or a company can do is limited. It's the government's responsibility."

Blue skies ahead

Chiang said a temporary improvement in the air quality could greatly take the pressure off Beijing's employees in general.

According to data released by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Beijing experienced better air quality in the first six months of this year, than over the same period last year.

The accumulated concentration of PM 2.5 dropped by 15.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

The number of days that have met air quality standards so far this year reached 88, nine days more than the first six months of 2014.

Moreover, a military parade has been scheduled to mark the 70th Anniversary of the World Anti-Fascist War next month.

Many people are expecting to see a "parade blue" after last year's "APEC blue," which refers to the clear blue skies during the APEC summit, after government took multiple measures to improve the air quality, such as shutting down factories and reducing traffic on the roads.

Flexible working hours used to be a policy adopted by many companies in the past so people could balance their work and family lives, but Chiang said it is now being used more to counter air pollution.

"Companies should be more compassionate, which doesn't necessarily mean paying people more, but can be in the form of pep talks, or team activities to distract people from the poor air or to help them release their stress," he said.

Jiang said it would be appreciated if her company would offer some comfort to counter the bad air days, such as more snacks or "bad air subsidies" for employees when the air quality index reaches a certain level.

"Although our manager will [personally] allow me and my co-workers to leave the officer earlier [when the air is bad] to avoid the more severe pollution during the rush hours, it would work better if they could have written regulations in this regard to make it more standardized."

Wang is looking forward to the positive attitude that will be brought about by the "parade blue."

During the "APEC blue," she felt the office was especially busy and motivated.

It gives people confidence that with governmental regulations, it's possible to have good air management, she said.

Patrick Wong contributed to this story