There are many consequences involved if you fail to maintain a proper office temperature apart from productivity. One of the significant ones is the spread of sickness.
In the modern ultra-competitive business world, companies require their employees to be as productive as possible for achieving the desired targets. This is the reason why the temperature maintained in an office is related to productivity and requires a lot of attention for improving the employee output. Similar to many people out there, you are probably trying to locate the productivity barriers. The office temperature, whether too hot or too cold, ranks as one of the top issues affecting the ability of employees to get the tasks done. So what is the optimum temperature for an office?
The optimum temperature for your office
Even though OSHA has recommended having the temperature maintained between 68 and 76 degrees F, most studies indicate that you get the highest productivity level when the temperature of your office lies in the lower 70s. Another significant aspect of this is the humidity. It should lie between 20 and 60% as humidity might change people’s perception of the prevailing temperature.
Other ways a temperate war is costing you
It is a fact that productivity in an office space and room temperature are closely related. It is significant how you set the thermostat for achieving real consequences for various businesses. When the employees are not comfortable they are likely to leave their seats. Or they may bring in personal heaters which might be quite dangerous because they can block heat and AC registers. They can also tamper with controls and thermostats. These actions may also impede the operations of your HVAC system and make things even worse than earlier.
Achieving the right office conditions
Getting the optimal temperature for increasing productivity within an office may turn out to be tricky. It is more than increasing or decreasing the thermostat from HVAC supplies. But, generally speaking, here are some factors that need investigation.
1. Possible requirement of repair: You might be facing one of the many air conditioning-related problems that can cause a temperature variation. Some of them include refrigerant leakage, faulty controls, broken fans, or clogged ducts. Get your HVAC system thoroughly investigated and evaluated by using a reliable HVAC pro. After you renovate the devices, you will probably need to remodel your house or the set rooms where the HVAC equipment is put. Contact a general contractor that will take care of the remodeling for you, since it might be quite a hassle to do it yourself.
2. HVAC design problems: Another crucial factor to check out can be the HVAC design. You probably have several different areas within the office that have different needs for air conditioning and heating. For instance, overcrowded meeting spaces and server rooms are in urgent need of some cooling. Generally, the perimeter offices need greater cooling and heating than the interior ones. The question is, are your HVAC pieces of equipment capable of handling the changing needs? Another factor can be the changing level of occupancy in the office at various times of the day.
3. Office renovation: You may have performed an office renovation without considering the HVAC system. Due to this, the system may not be routing the affected area properly and not serving the new layout of the available office space. Well, the good news, in this case, is that you still might not need a new HVAC system. Certain small adjustments such as re-routing the ducts might be sufficient to make a difference in the productivity and office temperature of the workplace.
4. Keep an eye on maintenance schedules: When your office HVAC system has not undergone maintenance for a while, it may cause a variation in temperatures as well. Holes in the ductwork, clogged air filters, fans coated in grime, and dirty coils can also cause bad comfort conditions. Due to these reasons, everyone would like to say that HVAC maintenance doesn’t cost anything but pays off in reality. The small investment you make for regular maintenance not only decreases the repair and energy bills but can also save you a lot in terms of productivity.
Conclusion
There are many consequences involved if you fail to maintain a proper office temperature apart from productivity. One of the significant ones is the spread of sickness. If the temperature and humidity levels of the room are either too high or too low, it may support the growth of harmful bacteria, viruses, and mold. These harmful entities may get spread around the premises by the HVAC system and all the sick reporting can hurt productivity.
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