Nearly half of workers in a new survey are unhappy with the temperature in their office, with 23% of respondents complaining that their office is too cold and 25% saying it’s too hot. The survey, which was commissioned by Career Builder, also found that poor thermal comfort can cause tempers to rise, with 20% of respondents admitting that they’ve argued with a coworker about the office temperature and 18% reporting to have secretly changed it during the winter.
Adding to previous research on the subject, gender was shown to play a role in office comfort, with 13% of men reporting being too cold and 28% too hot, compared to 31% of women being too cold and 22% too hot. Stifled productivity was noted as an effect of uncomfortable temperatures, with 53% of respondents noting that cold offices negatively impact productivity and71% reporting the same for offices that are too hot.
The study’s authors recommend that FMs take a variety of steps to help ensure comfort for workers, such as tweaking settings to find a happy medium, making special provisions such for employees in unique circumstances (such as those who sit under a vent), and making sure that your building’s windows are properly sealed, as insulation can keep temperatures more manageable in all seasons.
