March 5th, 2020

THE OPTIMUM OFFICE TEMPERATURE

Office temperature. How hot or cold an office should be is an issue of perennial debate, as common a discussion topic as the best places to grab lunch near the office. Do you prefer a warmer office environment, and dread the Arctic chill that sweeps your office? Or perhaps you enjoy the cooler temperatures, and constantly find yourself having to fan yourself the entire workday because of the overbearing heat in your office? Regardless of where you fall in this debate, read on to see what science has to say about the optimum office temperature!

Temperature in the office

What's the current landscape of the Great Temperature Debate? A survey conducted by CareerBuilder in 2018 found that almost half of the participants reported that they find their office either too hot or too cold. Of these employees, 51% said that working in an office that is too cold negatively impacts their productivity, while 67% said the same thing about working in an office that is too warm.

Clearly, these numbers show that people's opinions about what temperature it should be in the office vary greatly. In fact, the survey reports that 15% of the workers surveyed have actually gotten into arguments with a coworker about the office's temperature; and nearly 1 in 5 of the participants admitted that they changed the office temperature to make themselves more comfortable.

How temperature affects productivity

So why are people so worked up about the temperature in their workplace, to the extent that they even get into arguments with their coworkers and secretly alter the office temperature? Well, temperature can play a huge part in how comfortable you are, which has major implications for your level of focus and productivity. For example, one study found that the rate of error for a group of office clerks working in a 77º F office was only 10%; but "when the temperature dropped five degrees, they were half as productive, more than doubling the number of mistakes."

In fact, research suggests that the ambient temperature can even change how you think. In general. it appears that warm workplaces are more conducive for creative thinking. Alternatively, cooler environments are more helpful for people who need to be kept alert in order to complete monotonous and repetitive tasks.

Temperature can even impact our abilities to connect with one another. Another study found that a group of people in warmer rooms are more likely to harbor warmer feelings for each other. In fact, even holding a hot cup of coffee can cause you to view your colleagues in a more favorable light!

the battle of the thermostat

Also important to the discussion about the best office temperature are the findings that temperature affects the different biological sexes in contrary ways. Research has found that in general, "women feel colder than men at the same temperature." This may be due to the differences in fat-to-muscle ratios between men and women. Gender norms may also play a role when it comes to women feeling colder, given that the work skirts and blouses traditionally worn by women tend to trap less heat than the slacks and suit blazers historically worn by men.

But studies have shown that offices have traditionally set their temperatures to fit the comforts of men, coming "at the expense of women's comfort and productivity." Research conducted at the University of Southern California found that women perform better at math and verbal tasks in warmer temperatures, while the reverse holds to be true for men.

However, the study notes that "the increase in female performance in response to higher temperature is significantly larger and more precisely estimated than the corresponding decrease in male performance," meaning that it may be more beneficial for overall productivity if the office temperature is kept at a higher level than the current standards.

The final verdict on the optimum office temperature? While OSHA recommendssetting the thermostat between 67 - 76ºF, science suggests keeping the thermostat in the mid-70s.

Keeping your cool; or raising the heat

So what happens if your office does decide to follow science and raise the temperature of your office? Once again, research suggests that this may be entirely too hot for you if you are a man, while it may still be a tad too cold for you if you are a woman! Here are some strategies to cope with any office temperature:

If you're too hot:

Working in any office requires a certain degree of being able to keep your cool, but this will be especially true if you're working in a warm workplace! Having a professional base layer, like a cotton button-up or blouse, that you can pare down to is a good first strategy. Always having a cool drink on hand to sip on throughout the workday is another! And you can always ask your office manager if it'd be okay to have a small personal fan at your desk.

If you're too cold:

On the opposite side of the spectrum, staying warm in a frigid office is all about retaining heat. And once again, your choice of clothing should be your first step towards warming up: layers are your best friend in a cold office! If that's not enough, you could consider keeping a blanket at your desk to bundle up with - and a warm beverage will also work wonders.

in conclusion

In the end, science suggests that raising the office thermostat to warmer than usual temperatures may boost your office productivity. But no matter the temperature of your office, there are many steps you can take as an individual to keep yourself comfortable. And here at Facility Solutions Plus, we have the expertise to help you design and create the perfect office environment that will have all of your employees thriving, regardless of the temperature.

Facility Solutions Plus is a client-centered, full-service commercial office furniture dealership and service provider that specializes in meeting needs, solving problems and enhancing the total office environment through customized, cost-effective workspace solutions...and more.