Workplace Comfort

In order for employees to remain engaged and productive they must be comfortable in the work environment. Whether it be an office or a cubicle, a shop floor or a server room the climate must be conducive to the comfort of each employee.

Unlike the service industry office workers have hours of mundane tasks ahead of them. Along with food and water, the atmosphere must allow total concentration. Studies have shown feeling warm can make a person perceive time as going slower, and feeling cooler can make time seem to pass faster.

Temperature Affects the Ability to Concentrate

“ In today’s modern office climate control is an expected and almost mandatory feature. While OSHA does not have any solid requirements or even recommendations for workplace temperature ranges, it is important for all of your employees to be comfortable and stress free during working hours.”

While personal temperature preferences can range anywhere from a few degrees up to ten degrees, it is important everyone is comfortable at the same time. If it means employee seats must be rearranged to place cooler blooded people in the warmer area near the window, or let a warm blooded person sit near the ac vent I suggest everything be done to maintain comfort. It is also important to understand that a thermostat may affect areas of the office that are not expected. The manager is responsible for knowing the layout of the office, including the HVAC system. Knowing which thermostat effects which branches of the duct work can go a long way to maintaining overall comfort. When the summer time hits it is common for women to be frozen out of the office, but it is easier to put on a jacket then for a man to sit at his desk dripping with sweat. Feeling overheated greatly reduces concentration as well as critical thinking and problem solving along with motivation. It is also imperative to maintain rules on the adjustment of workplace thermostats. These are the interface to serious mechanical systems for the whole building, only the manager should have access to the thermostat and especially contracted or temporary employees should not be allowed to adjust these systems.