In offices up and down the country, a war is being waged between two camps: those who are comfortable in an air-conditioned environment, and those who are shivering their way through the workday. The first camp is made up primarily of men, whilst the second consists mainly of women.
This might sound like a rather sexist generalisation, and of course, there are exceptions, but research has found that there are fundamental differences in the physiology of men and women that lead to women typically feeling colder than men.
Don’t let the air conditioning become a cause for conflict in your workplace. As the commercial air conditioning experts, we’re proud to bring you our ultimate guide to preventing office air conditioning wars…
Air Conditioning Overview
Physiological Gender Differences
Comfortable Work Environment
Resolving Conflict
At Work
Self-Managing
Your Comfort
Chapter One
Air Conditioning Overview
Arguing over the air con with your colleagues and constantly feeling too hot or too cold is not conducive to a healthy and happy workplace. In order to prevent your air conditioning system from sparking an all-out office-based war, you must first understand what air conditioning is, where it originated from, and what it is used for.
You can find out all that and more in the following articles that we have collated for you:
Chapter Two
Physiological Gender Differences
Men are from Mars, women are from Venus… It seems that most people would agree that there are differences in the behaviour of men and women, and our physical appearance is obviously different. But it seems the old adage is also true when it comes to our physiology and the way in which each gender deals with hot and cold temperatures.
Here are a few articles that sum up these fundamental differences in more detail:
Chapter Three
Creating a Comfortable Working Environment
Any good employer knows that a happy workforce is a productive workforce. Employees who are too hot or too cold, and just generally uncomfortable and unhappy in their working environment, are typically far less productive than those who are happy, valued, and comfortable. Therefore it makes sense for an employer to do what they can to make the environment in the office as agreeable as possible for all employees.
Here are a few resources that might help to make your office environment a more pleasant place to work:
Chapter Four
Resolving Problems With Colleagues
Your hands may be too cold to type, but the war with your colleagues over the air con can certainly make your blood boil! Every workplace is a hive of different personalities and characters, so conflict within the working environment will always be inevitable; therefore knowing how to deal with it effectively is a really useful skill to possess.
The following articles should help to equip you for dealing with any problems that arise, whether they are related to the air conditioning or not:
Chapter Five
Self-Managing Your Comfort At Work
It’s virtually impossible to please everyone in the office at the same time; so it’s inevitable that now and again you will need to manage your own comfort. This could be as simple as wearing fewer layers to keep cool, or more layers to keep warm, as well as eating and drinking warm or cold things accordingly.
Whether you are too cold or too hot in the office, the following articles offer some great tips and tricks to help you manage your own micro-environment comfortably: