Your hands are shaking so much that your words per minute typing rate increases to never before seen speeds. Your teeth are chattering and sound like you’re playing the Castanets. Your breath comes out in huge clouds of condensation that immediately turn into snow. We’ve all been there: you’re working at the office and you realize that you’re slowly freezing into a popsicle, much like Jack Torrance at the end of The Shining (can’t spoil something that’s been out for ages).
With Autumn already in swing, some office workers are already feeling the ill effects of changing temperatures. Even if you’re the healthiest person and walk around in shorts all year long, you can’t deny that Summer is over and, in the memorable words of the Starks, Winter is coming. To keep you smiling while you freeze, here are some of the best cold office memes that we collected from the deep, dark, and frigid places of the internet. Be sure to read on for Bored Panda’s full interviews with professor Eddy Ng from Bucknell University about how to resolve issues linked to climate control at the office and how temperature affects our productivity, as well as with Dr. Agne Kajeckaite from the Berlin Social Science Center about how low and high temperatures in work environment differently affect men and women.
Scroll down if your scroll wheel isn’t ice-bound yet, upvote the best memes, and be sure to share this list with your friends who are also always cold. And to remind you that it’s not all about ice and Titanic jokes on planet Earth, check out Bored Panda’s post about the reactions Europeans had to the record-breaking heatwave this Summer.
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Abandon hope all who enter here! That's what it feels like, the entrance to hell.
When I first got the job, our office had always the perfect temperature. Never too hot, never too cold, regardless of the season. The heating/cooling was always spot on. Then, as the team got bigger, in needs of bigger offices, we moved. And it's got always cold from then on. Good thing is, our boss provided everyone who applied with a mini desk heater.
Load More Replies...Nothing is colder that your feet dangling down from your chair, in the cold air swirling around your knee's and ankles.
We used to have space heaters in our cubicles. I live in Houston, TX; the building was gold energy star certified. How!
I worked in an office withh an older, menopausal ady who was in charge of the thermostat... 60 degrees!!! She froze us all out.
I prefer the term "satan's armpit" because its hellishly hot and uncomfortably humid, sometimes with a pungent smell.
The b******e would be the same, no? Maybe smellier and tighter.
Load More Replies...I do:-) My husband refuses him when it's hot out, but, he knows mom is always up for a cuddle!
Load More Replies...I work from home - one dog is on me the other is sitting under my knees!
Load More Replies...You know you miss being around dogs when you say hello in an excited voice to a picture of a dog, as if you'll get a reaction...
Did you know it's virtually impossible to type with mittens on your cold numb hands?
If you’re shivering at work right now, then I feel your pain: I’m currently wearing my thickest winter jacket at work, while some of my colleagues are in short-sleeved shirts and tights. In my humble opinion, it’s far better to be too hot than it is to be too cold. However, far from everybody shares my point of view, including some incredibly brainy individuals.
For example, The Economic Times explains that each time the temperature rises by 1 degree above 27 degrees Celsius (that’s 80.6 Fahrenheit), the productivity of manual laborers drops by 4 percent. So if it’s 33 degrees Celsius, their productivity would be around a quarter less than usual.
We shall temporarily forget about the inevitable papercut that is to follow...
Shredder gets hot with a lot of us! Squat down and wrap your hands around that warmth and hope for life to come back to your fingers.
Unless it's too hot. The sinks in my work bathroom feel like they put out near-boiling water. I have to use the sink in like 2 second bursts.
Load More Replies...I worked at a place with loos in a shed across the car park. In the winter they froze. Visitors were directed to the nearest pub if they needed the facilities
Sometimes it's way to painful to start out with hot water. You may have to start of with warm water and gradually work up to very warm then hot water otherwise it's too painful. But it's so nice to see color come back into your fingers! Glorious pink!!
In Turkey, many years ago, met this lady, wearing like khaki-cape, or something like that . She was a lovely and cool (pun intended;)) lady. Btw she wore a hijab (scarf-like/ all open face)- she had a topnotch job, and skin felt like chilled silky normal skin (hands) Turkish woman knows best!! I am sure 🇹🇷
What about Saudi's ? There the women are covered totally black and the heat is sizzling! In Turkey there it can be also snowing.........???
Load More Replies...That's an old wives tale...colds are caused by germs...
Load More Replies...Something has gone really badly in the office. The conference room has naked dead chickens hanging from the ceiling. Oh please...
But let’s return a bit closer to the office now. Bored Panda talked to Eddy Ng, the James and Elizabeth Freeman Professor of Management from Bucknell University, about battling over the AC and thermostat at the office. According to him, it’s possible to settle differences over temperature peacefully.
“Try negotiating! It's always easier to reach out and ask about someone's comfort first and then find a happy compromise,” Professor Ng suggested. “It shows that you care and your office mates will reciprocate in kind. They are less likely to willfully dial up or down the thermostat after you've had a friendly chat.”
I just keep a long, thick winter cardigan in my locker. People look at me like I'm crazy when they see me around the office with it, but what else am I supposed to do when my colleagues are convinced that 15 C is an acceptable temperature to set the AC on?
I cannot think of a good reason why they'd think you were crazy - must be nutters themselves.
Load More Replies...THIS IS ME!!!!!!!!!!!! my classes are 69 degrees on a 76 degree day. 76 is nice in October, it definetly does not deserve the AC. Never have I been hot in any class except PE
me- my hands especially are always freezing. probably has something to do with crappy circulation or something...
Load More Replies...This is me. My teachers seem to think that 69 degrees is an acceptable class temperature. THe whole class is shivering because at my school, you couldn't escape the vents if you tried. The teacher is fine. HOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to desert summers. Try joggers, or wear shorts and a t-shirt, then bring jeans, sweatpants, and the thickest jacket you can find for the office.
Remember the famous words of the antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton , layer, layer, layer!! I'm sure it was him, but maybe it was Leslie Knope.
At my school it is either like a million degrees or super cold. Today there is a snow storm and it was so cold in class all of the teachers were wearing like sweaters. We have portables too which are like separate outdoor classrooms and their ac/heating doesn't work much and I felt Soo bad for the kids and teachers in them.
The foot heater never gets put away. My feet have been abused and will never recover.
The professor added that “some [office] spaces are cooler or warmer than others, especially when you are under a draught, or next to a sun drenched window” and gave some useful advice on what you can do about it.
“Switch cubicles or office space. There are now apps that allow you to regulate the temperature including getting a blast of warm or cool air for a few minutes. If you are perpetually cold, bring a space heater. If you are always warm, bring a fan. There are only so many layers you can peel off.”
“There are studies that suggest an optimal range of temperatures for productivity and work performance. For example, every degree increase above 25 degrees Celsius results in a 2 percent decrease in productivity,” the professor cited a different study about temperature and productivity. “Either extremes are counterproductive. What you do and how you do it matters. Workers need to be comfortable to be productive.”
Alcohol is the OPPOSITE of what you want when you’re cold. Never give alcohol to people suffering from exposure.
I thought one guy survived the Titanic sinking because he was really drunk and the cold water didn’t effect him as badly. The chef, maybe? My sixth grade teacher definitely told us that, but I’m only now realizing how silly that seems ❄️🍻
Load More Replies...We have a couple of those Vornado space heaters (our offices at home get chilly, and if you turn up the heat, they're sweat boxes - perils of living in a four storey house), and they are fantastic!
Are those..heated gloves? With free finger tips for typing/gaming? How have I lived my life without them? Off to google I frolick!
It isn't my fault my space heater sets the circuit breaker off every time I turn it on and the whole office goes dark.. I"M COLD!
Time writes about a slightly controversial new study that further puts into perspective the thermostat and AC battles occurring daily in our offices. The study looked at “differences in the effect of temperature on cognitive performance by gender in a large controlled lab experiment.”
Here’s the conclusion researchers reached: “At higher temperatures, women perform better on math and verbal tasks while the reverse effect is observed for men. The increase in female performance in response to higher temperature is significantly larger and more precisely estimated than the corresponding decrease in male performance.”
Your office has two seasons: summer on the equator and winter in Antarctica
The thermostat in my classroom literally only works between 70 and 72 degrees.
I’m that annoying one that’s always hot. I always wish I could run cold because you can layer. When hot, you are just...hot
There is a limit to how many clothes you can remove in an office!!
Load More Replies...I am also the always hot one. You may not want to put on a sweater but I am at the take off clothes stage and none of us want to see that!
I'm always hot too. I work next to an entrance door, so the cool, moving air is perfect for me. Not for my coworkers though. They want the heat at 362.6 degrees.
Lol me at school today. It's -10 degrees Celsius or 14 degrees Fahrenheit out right now and the class was sooo cold my teacher dressed so warmly.
“In contrast to math and verbal tasks, temperature has no impact on a measure of cognitive reflection for either gender. Our findings suggest that gender mixed workplaces may be able to increase productivity by setting the thermostat higher than current standards,” the scientists wrote. I for one am all for setting the thermostat higher. Way higher. What about you?
Let us know in the comments below, how cold it is in your workplace, whether you’d rather be too cold or too hot, as well as how you discuss with your co-workers whether to turn the AC up or down.
I have done this because setting actual office furniture on fire was frowned upon...
The girl in the background is just naturally picking her nose... Wow... I can see my friend doing the most random thing in a important picture... God damn Richard!
I do that at home! Wish I had a real fireplace, but it's somehow better than nothing.
ya same. i always wear jeans if i can because of it. except on tuesdays. tuesdays suck. we don't do PE clothes on tuesday, so when we run laps, i get sweaty, and there is nothing i can do about it.
Load More Replies...Most likely a non-celsius thing. But even with exaggerating, it still works.
Load More Replies...Let us know in the comments below, how cold it is in your workplace, whether you’d rather be too cold or too hot, as well as how you discuss with your co-workers whether to turn the AC up or down.
Seriously. Y'all can put more clothes on. There's a certain point at which removal of any more of my clothing is frowned upon.
My office is freezing, so I wear a sweater. Customers always act like I'm a moron when they come in from the summer heat. One Fed Ex delivery guy even yelled at me. Here's how it went...Total Stranger/Fed Ex guy: "You're wearing a sweater?!!". Me: "Yeah, it gets cold in here after awhile.". Him (literally yells): "You should go outside then!".
Load More Replies...Worked somewhere so cold that we'd open the windows to let the warm air in.
We used to do turkeys for Christmas which involved working in an unheated shed for a bit in the middle of Winter. Sometimes you'd go in to the cold store (giant walk in fridge) to get warm
Load More Replies...my office is always too warm, even when the rest of the building is freezing
That's not me because I am naturally a hot person ( I'm usually sweating)
Up? It's taken me decades to learn that colder means "turn the thermostat DOWN." Ya know? Seventy-three degrees is warmer than sixty-eight degrees.
The dilemma of wearing cute clothes and then covering them with a huge winter coat.
How to get ahead in business: Dress for the beach, and then complain about the AC.
How I hate it! The dress code for the male employees in my husband’s office: long trousers, shirt and closed shoes. For females: just make sure the straps of yor bra is not visible... Of course they are cold and there is a constant fight over the AC...😐
I hate that. Sitting on something that is warm from the previous person's behind is so unpleasant.
argh.... This is the wrong pinguin! it should be a blue one! that bothers me
i was like o that penguin again yee then saw the problem
This happens in every office I've ever worked. Men and menopausal woman are hot and women and young people with no body fat are cold. Putting heaters under your desk usually confuses the HVAC and even though you're comfy, you've tricked the whole system into colder. I talked to an HVAC tech years ago. He made a whole group of complaining nurses happy by installing thermostats that weren't connected to anything but power (but they didn't know that).
I read once that men use body heat for their whole bodies, and women use it mainly to keep their organs warm. I’m pretty sure that was in a teen magazine 20+ years ago, so I’m not sure how much faith I have in it, but it sounds true.
Load More Replies...I'm always hot the moment I arrive at the office, but after a few minutes I'm freezing. I have both a mini-desk fan and a mini-desk heater for each purpose. I use the heater only in winter times, though. For the rest, I cover myself with one of those warm cotton sheets. That makes me fall asleep, though.
I used to work with people who would come into the office too hot from walking and fling open all the windows. Argh!!! The annoyance! Why couldn't they acclimatise themselves? One woman did this while still wearing her coat. How I didn't fling her out the window I will never know. Then they'd moan the room was too cold... Well, I wonder how that happened! That fun was winter. Summer was just as bad because I sat between two air conditioning vents and was in a freezing cold vortex. My work area was two degrees colder than the rest of the flipping room! I thank you on behalf of your colleagues for using your fan or heater.
Load More Replies...I think I'm the b***h who always turn on the AC, I always hot, and the temp outside is 40C
Lets be honest this is a man/ woman issue.. Women are always cold..men( esp in suits) tend to be warmer. Women always want to raise the heat and men always want it colder
Yeah no.. I'm a woman and I absolutely hate heat and being warm. I honestly rather freeze than being too hot, which is basically any level of warmth. I only have enough heat on in my apartment to keep the water from freezing in the winter. I also worked with two ladies that just about melted every summer. Our office was ice cold and the three of us loved it. But I also enjoy a smug, warm blanket so I'll give you that
Load More Replies...It is nearly winter. The season when our office can warm up to crazy 26°C (79°F) and moment later our AC will wake up and take it down to 18°C (65°F) in two hours. Impresive cooling but I do not enjoy working with gloves and blanket.
I once had a coworker who'd wear long sleeved shirts under a wool sweater on the hottest days of July and August, then turn up the AC because he was too warm. When we complained he'd sneer about how we weren't tough enough to take the cold. That's right - he thought office air conditioning was weather.
I'm always hot the moment I arrive at the office, but after a few minutes I'm freezing. I have both a mini-desk fan and a mini-desk heater for each purpose. I use the heater only in winter times, though. For the rest, I cover myself with one of those warm cotton sheets. That makes me fall asleep, though.
I used to work with people who would come into the office too hot from walking and fling open all the windows. Argh!!! The annoyance! Why couldn't they acclimatise themselves? One woman did this while still wearing her coat. How I didn't fling her out the window I will never know. Then they'd moan the room was too cold... Well, I wonder how that happened! That fun was winter. Summer was just as bad because I sat between two air conditioning vents and was in a freezing cold vortex. My work area was two degrees colder than the rest of the flipping room! I thank you on behalf of your colleagues for using your fan or heater.
Load More Replies...I think I'm the b***h who always turn on the AC, I always hot, and the temp outside is 40C
Lets be honest this is a man/ woman issue.. Women are always cold..men( esp in suits) tend to be warmer. Women always want to raise the heat and men always want it colder
Yeah no.. I'm a woman and I absolutely hate heat and being warm. I honestly rather freeze than being too hot, which is basically any level of warmth. I only have enough heat on in my apartment to keep the water from freezing in the winter. I also worked with two ladies that just about melted every summer. Our office was ice cold and the three of us loved it. But I also enjoy a smug, warm blanket so I'll give you that
Load More Replies...It is nearly winter. The season when our office can warm up to crazy 26°C (79°F) and moment later our AC will wake up and take it down to 18°C (65°F) in two hours. Impresive cooling but I do not enjoy working with gloves and blanket.
I once had a coworker who'd wear long sleeved shirts under a wool sweater on the hottest days of July and August, then turn up the AC because he was too warm. When we complained he'd sneer about how we weren't tough enough to take the cold. That's right - he thought office air conditioning was weather.
