Finding the ideal room temperature for productivity is important. If you keep the temperature too high, half of your employees might not be able to work as they will be too busy sweating. If you keep it too low, the employees might start shivering, and it might impact their work. So, you need to find the best room temperature for productivity. This article might help.
Study on Best
Room Temperature for Productivity
A study was
conducted recently that focused on the effects of temperature on the performance
of people who do office work. It was done by using data from different studies
that focused on indicators of performance that are likely to be relevant in
office type work, such as simple calculations, text processing, length of
customer service time on the telephone, and total handling time per customer.
The results
revealed that the performance of employees increases when the temperature is up
to 21-22 °C, and it also decreases with the temperature above 23-24 °C. As per
data, the highest productivity is at a temperature of around 22 °C.
The Changes
According to
previous guidelines, experts recommended working in air-conditioned office
environments where the temperatures were between 70 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
Unfortunately, this number was decided after studying workplaces with male
employees.
Recent research
has shown that women feel colder quickly as they have a lower metabolic rate
than men. So, the average temperature at the office should be 71.5 degrees
Fahrenheit, but you should adjust it based on gender distribution and age of
the office. Older employees feel cold faster than younger employees.
If your office
has an outdoor environment, you need to ensure that employees always have
access to shade, cool water, and protective clothing during the summer months,
or it might reduce their productivity.
In areas with
colder weather, the management should offer access to warn clothing and
maintain a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit at least.
Key Factors
that Affect Temperature Perception
Several key
factors affect the temperature perception of employees. It would help if you
kept them in mind too.
BMI
The body mass
index or BMI
of your employees affects how they react to temperature. People who weigh more
generally feel warmer quickly than people who have an ideal weight or are
underweight. People who have lower-than-average BMI might get cold easier.
Age
People over 55
feel colder easily, so they need a slightly warmer office temperature to ensure
their productivity levels are up.
Humidity
High humidity
levels also affect how people perceive temperature. High levels of humidity can
affect an employee’s ability to sweat and might lead to heat exhaustion. So,
you need to ensure that you maintain the relative humidity level of 40 percent.
Too low humidity is also a concern as it can make the air feel colder than it
is. It can also lead to dryness in the skin, nasal passages, or throat.
Need more? Read useful
tips to boost
employee productivity and skyrocket performance.
Sources:
https://indoor.lbl.gov/publications/room-temperature-and-productivity
https://leadchangegroup.com/office-temperature-and-productivity/
https://www.thoughtco.com/how-temperature-affects-productivity-1206659