Paying to upgrade buildings to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards could have an unexpected benefit: lower rates of absenteeism and a host of health problems among employees.

 That's according to results of a recently published study. Over a period of about eight months, researchers from Michigan State University surveyed two groups of employees, about 260 in all, before and after they moved from a conventional office building to a LEED-certified one.  (LEED ratings take into account a slew of factors, from air quality and humidity to ventilation and acoustics). They found that employees reported a significant drop in absenteeism and work hours affected by depression, asthma, respiratory allergies, and stress. Also respondents reported an increase in productivity. 

Specifically, 207 employees moved into a Silver-rated building and 56 relocated to a top-of-the-line Platinum-certified office. Employees with asthma and respiratory allergies reported the number of hours their illnesses affected their work dropped from an average of16.28 hours a month before the move to 6.32 after. Hours affected per month by depression and stress decreased from 20.21 to 14.06. And absenteeism from stress and depression dropped from .93 hours a month to .47. What's more when asked to characterize their level of productivity,  employees reported that working in a non-LEED building decreased their productivity by .80 percent, while being in a LEED-rated office increased productivity by 2.18 percent.

Of course these findings need to be taken with a grain of salt, since they're employees' own self-reported results, not clinically studied outcomes. And the improvements could be all evidence of a Hawthorne effect, the theory that any changes in a work environment can reap productivity benefits.

Still even if it's a matter of perception, the results  indicate a notable change in absenteeism and productivity--and the possibility that footing the bill to pay for LEED-certified improvements could be good for overall costs, as well as the environment.