My husband often makes fun of me, saying anything north or south of 70 °F and I’m not happy. He’s right. I don’t like to be uncomfortable. Just call me Goldilocks — I prefer not too hot, not too cold, but just right. That goes for both at home and in the office.
A survey recently caught my eye about how climate control can impact productivity in the workplace. According to a study commissioned by Andrews-Sykes in Wolverhampton, England, and carried out by One Poll, found 61 percent of women find the office too cold in the winter, while 40 percent of men count it as chilly. Only 10 percent of respondents found their desk too hot.
I can relate. I’ve often been seen at my desk on the 7th floor of the BNP Media offices in Troy, Michigan (The ACHR NEWS’ parent company) wearing my jacket in the middle of winter. My hands feel like icicles. I even have a pair of fingerless gloves I break out for really cold days. (I need the fingerless gloves so I can still type).
According to the survey, more than one-third of workers waste longer than 10 minutes a day acclimating to the office temperature. Six percent of those workers waste 31 minutes or more every day when the temperatures are too cold. Workers wasting 30 minutes a day adds up to nearly 15 working days missed. An average office of about 50 people adds up to about 6.5 hours that are wasted daily.
If my boss is reading this, I swear I’m the exception to this rule.
These numbers are something contractors should think about when giving a sales pitch to commercial and light commercial clients. Ways to improve productivity are always top of mind.
