If You’re Freezing In Your Office Then These 29 Memes Are For You

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”

“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.

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.