Hot News About Productivity Hot enough for you? Find out what a new study says about the temperature of your office and productivity.
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Sure, your employees might stare longingly out the window,gazing at a summer sky and wishing they were off sunbathing. Butchances are, it's the weather inside the officethat's causing your staff more concern. You should beconcerned, too, if your assistant is constantly fanning herself oryour CFO is dressed in a parka--in the middle of June. A recentstudy conducted by Alan Hedge, professor of design andenvironmental analysis at Cornell University, indicates that thetemperature of your office is directly related to how your staff isperforming.
The study sampled the air every 15 minutes at nine workstationsin an office. It also monitored the time the workers used theirkeyboards and the time they spent correcting their errors. At 68degrees Fahrenheit, workers typed 54 percent of the time, with a 25percent error rate; at 77 degrees, the staff typed 100 percent ofthe time, with a 10 percent error rate. Some companies are startingto acknowledge the problem by installing "personal environmentmodules," desktop units employees use to control individualsettings for air temperature, air flow, radiant heat andlighting.
This doesn't surprise Jonathan Harber, 41, CEO of SchoolNet,which helps educators identify student weaknesses and develop plansto improve performance. Comfortable temperatures are rarely felt bythe staff of about 40. SchoolNet's headquarters in New YorkCity's Chelsea Market is a former Nabisco factory--and anotoriously drafty building
During the winter, the building's interior is approximately80 degrees, while the outer offices hardly crack the high 50s. Inthe summertime, everything reverses: The outer offices are cooked,but the inner offices are refrigerated. "It gets annoying,especially when you're in a conference room in the middle ofthe building, it's getting hot, and people start noddingoff," says Harber. "And then people come in from otherparts of the building, complaining that it's too cold."Harber stocks his own office with a heavy sweater and gloves withfinger holes so he can type.
As they're outgrowing the premises, Harber has been lookingfor new offices that will provide a more temperate workingenvironment. "Before you lease [space], ask if they use anair-coolant or water-coolant system," advises Harber, who sayswater-cooled air is generally more expensive. "And find out ifthey charge you based on the time you use the air conditioning. Ifthey shut off the air after 5 p.m., and if you or your employeesare working late and turn it on, that can run $500 to $600 an hour.It's disconcerting to spend all your time managing thebusiness, then find out your air conditioning can make a biggerdifference to your bottom line than some of yourproducts."
