Is Your Office Too Cold Today?

I remember those days in the office when my feet were lumps of ice in my cute shoes. I remember when under the fresh makeup job, my nose was frozen solid. I remember when I would snuggle into a big sweater over my pretty little sundress, and hide in my cubicle. I remember the days of being glad I smoked, so I could go outside once in awhile and warm up.

It's a typical office complaint, I think. Someone is too hot, someone is cold, someone is freezing, and someone else is having a hot flash and just wants you out of her way. It always seemed to me that I should have worn my summer clothes to work in the winter, when the office was often a bit warm; and I definitely needed boots, sweater, and sometimes a hat to survive in the frigid air conditioned climate of the office in summer. I never tried that solution, though, because I would have looked pretty stupid at happy hour or whatever else I was doing on the way home.

Apparently, enough people complained about this hot/cold phenomenon that researchers took it seriously. Cornell University did a study back in 2004 on how temperatures affected productivity and accuracy and had some surprising results.

When temperatures were at 68 degrees or below, typists were keying 54 percent of the time with a 25 percent error rate. When temperatures were at 77 degrees Fahrenheit, the same typists were keyboarding 100 percent of the time with a 10 percent error rate. That is pretty significant, but it is hard to type with stiff and frozen fingers, after all.

That might seem simple, then. According to the study, employers would save about $2 per hour per worker with the office at a much warmer temperature. That would offset any additional fuel costs the warmer climate would incur.

But, what is warm to one person isn't to another. And vice versa. Also, temperature zones in a large office building can vary significantly from even one row to the next, to say nothing of one floor to the next. Air flow is definitely a factor in who feels warm and productive in the office. Personal temperature preferences also affect whether or not an office worker feels comfortable at work.

There's a lot of variable in what constitutes a comfortable work environment. In the future, or in a sci-fit movie, each little cubicle would have its own personalized heating, air, and humidity device, along with personalized scents, music, and lighting. Here are some ideas to help you in the meantime.

Take appropriate clothing. In the summer, when indoor temperatures reach arctic lows, have a sweater or sweatshirt handy to throw over your summer outfits. If you are a woman, it can be hard to keep your legs warm in a dress, unless the skirt is long enough to wear leggings or footless stockings underneath that can be removed when you leave the building into the sweltering heat of August. If you know the temperature tends to be too warm for you in the winter and the heat is on, wear a light weight or even short sleeved top so you can remove your jacket or sweater and be comfortable.

Check out air quality. Sometimes when you feel too hot and stuffy, it's not because the temperature is hot. It is because the air is too dry. It helps to drink a lot of water, use a saline nasal spray (that helps you to ward off cold germs anyway), and spritz your face with water like airline attendants do. Keep hand moisturizer handy for that dry hand feeling.

Consider bringing your own personal heating and cooling devices. Check the office and building rules to see if you can bring in your own small heater if you are chronically cold. Maybe you could bring a desk fan if you feel too hot much of the time. A tiny air humidifier would do wonders if the air feels dry to you. You could even do a little aromatherapy by adding essential oils to the humidifier. Or try one of those misting bowls or lamps to add humidity to your area.

Don't hesitate to speak up. Ideally, an office environment should be kept at 72 degrees, plus or minus 3 degrees. And according to work environment experts, humidity should range between 30 and 60 percent. Your building manager should be aware of those numbers, and should check the air on a regular basis.

If nothing else, take frequent breaks in a more comfortable area. And know that you aren't alone: polling studies show that about 75 percent of workers are dissatisfied with the air quality in their work places.

Now, if you could just stop the guy next to you from humming all day long, right?