Do you find yourself shivering under the air conditioning in the office during the summer or fanning your face during the winter? Sometimes it seems that no matter what time of year it is, the temperature in the office can never be quite right. How can you do your job properly if you cannot even focus on anything else besides the goosebumps on your arms?
This problem is easy to put on the back-burner and blame on some personal loathing of work itself. However, studies have shown that temperature in the workplace has an effect on productivity and concentration.
How can the office find a constant temperature to please everyone? Men typically run warmer than women. Increased body fat allows one to lock in heat better than others. Where is the common ground? Sample surveys of office workers say only a little above 50% are comfortable with the air conditioning at work.
So what about the other half that are not comfortable – those that are too hot or too cold? Studies have found that colder employees make more errors. The same study found that errors are significantly fewer when the temperature is between 68 and 77 degrees. However, that’s a huge gap.
Some people like it cold at a solid 69 degrees, and some like it at a cozy 76. The obvious solution would be to keep it in the middle, right? Well that’s not always the answer. For bigger buildings, it’s more cost efficient if the HVAC is kept at a certain temperature.
Talk to your coworkers and office mates to find the most comfortable and efficient way to control your commercial AC. If the air conditioning goes out, get the AC repair company out as soon as possible. The cost of the repair will be better than a constant loss in productivity in the workplace. If all else fails, dress accordingly.
