How the temperature at your office affects productivity

You might have heard of the saying that too much comfort makes a man lazy, but that notion doesn’t fit the modern work environment. Some researchers confirm that an individual’s situation has a direct impact on their productivity.

When a person isn’t satisfied with their office environment, they find it challenging to focus on their work and meet deadlines. A study shows that office workers spend at least 2 percent of their working hours arguing about the temperature of the thermostat. Business leaders, you need to enhance the productivity of your employees.

If not the office mates, you’ll have to succumb to the wishes of your boss and endure some bizarre temperature setting conflicting with the weather outside. Employers might find it hard to admit to the fact that the temperature at their office is indeed affecting the productivity of their employees. But once they see the evidence that we’ve gathered below, they won’t have any choice but to comply.

Let’s understand the dynamic between these two variables in a practical setting:

Waste of Time

It is no rocket science that the more you shiver, the less focused you would be on your tasks. Especially in winter, all your focus would be on making yourself feel warm and comfortable. You’ll adjust your clothes, your position, and thermostat temperature to make yourself cozy. Not to mention the several tips you’ll make to break room to brew some hot cocoa or coffee for yourself.

In summer, the situation would be different, but the behavior pattern of an individual would be the same. They will spend most of their duty hours trying to find the most cooling spot in the office. They’ll drink beverages and water continuously to keep themselves hydrated but increasing their number of trips to the bathroom as well.

In both situations, you’ll see how the discomfort caused by your office’s temperature kept you distracted. It means you spend more time making yourself comfortable and less time working; hence, the claim that office temperature affects productivity stands true.

Employers can counter this problem by opting to rent chiller hire services. These services are experts in dealing with temperature uncertainties and offer you plenty of alternatives to make your office environment comfortable for all your employees.

Affects Teamwork

Different people have different physical and emotional endurance level and comfort zone. It is unfair to expect everyone in your office to agree on one thing without ensuing a heated debate or argument. Petty matters like room temperature settings and break room usage can cause a rift among your team.

One thing can lead to another, and before you know it, you’ll be hosting an unexplained animosity for your team members or co-workers in your heart. The situation can be reversed and you can be at the receiving end of the hate just because you didn’t care about your office mates’ preferences and decided to be stubborn about your stance.

These things might look insignificant in your eyes, but a human’s level of pettiness should never be underestimated. A small argument over room temperature can cause disharmony among individuals and leads to less productivity

Spoils Mood

When the work environment isn’t according to your physical needs, it will eventually spoil your mood as well. You will feel annoyed and grumpy and might snap at people for no reason. The explanation for this is simply that your dissatisfaction has caused you to isolate yourself from your environment on account of dissonance and discomfort.

Research suggests that people perform at their peak productivity when they are happy with their work environment. Their mood directly impacts their work habits and daily performances, which affects the overall outcome of any project or task you've been working on.

Temperature & Productivity Dynamic concerning Their Diverse Physiology

Men and women have different physiology, which means their physical needs are also different from each other. Employers and office owners must pay attention to this detail while setting up the thermostat temperature in the office.

Women feel colder than their male counterparts in winter because of their body fat and low metabolic rate. The same condition applies to them during summers too. If you have more female employees in your office than males, then you must consider adjusting your thermostat level according to their needs.

Finding a middle ground for both genders is crucial to enhance the productivity of your employees. Many would suggest a temperature of 71 Fahrenheit for your office, but there are still some variables that you must consider before settling down on some numerals.

Among these variables is the architecture of your workplace that determines how much sunlight and blizzard you’ll be exposed to daily. These external factors interfere with the internal temperature of your workplace; therefore, they should be accounted for as well.

Some Statistics to Back Up Our Claims

You might still think of this as something that has no concrete basis, but the various surveys and psychological researches on man and his environment might disagree with you. Cornell University conducted an experiment in which they observed the productivity rate of individuals by changing the temperature of their work environment.

First, they observed the productivity output of office workers at 77 Fahrenheit and found that it goes up by two compared to the results seen at 68 Fahrenheit. On the other hand, increasing the temperature by tens affects an individuals’ productivity dramatically and the numbers went down to as low as 80 percent and more.

If we look at the bigger picture, then the researchers claim that whenever the temperature in your work environment deviates from the average temperature, your team will show a decrease in their productivity by 3 percent.

Suggested Temperature by Researchers

If we analyze all the researches and surveys on this topic closely, then you’ll be to figure out the ideal temperature for any workplace. The gender ratio in your workplace won’t matter when its temperature is set between 68 .6 to 71.6 Fahrenheit that is 20 to 21 Celsius.
Note that a chilled environment reduces your employee’s work input by 10 percent which is much more than the disturbances caused by a hot and sweaty workplace.

Wrapping Up:

Employers and business owners are on the lookout for ways to maximize their employee’s productivity without burdening them too much. Everything we’ve discussed so far should be enough to give you an idea as to how temperature contributes to the productivity rate of your employees.

Once you figure out these reasons, you’ll know what to do, what to buy, how to plan and strategize, and where to invest your money to improve your workplace’s environment.

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