Is There a Link Between Office Temperature and Worker Productivity?
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A study at Cornell University has found that office workers in a warm environment are more productive than they are in colder spaces. The study was conducted by Alan Hedge, who is a professor of design and environmental analysis; he is also the director of Cornell's Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory.
The study was conducted in Olrando, Florida at the headquarters of Insurance Office of America. Nine office workstations were outfitted with sensors that sampled the air temperature every 15 minutes. In addition to recording the temperature in the work space, they also monitored the amount of time the workers used the keyboard, and the amount of time spent correcting errors.
The results are a little surprising. At 66 degrees Fahrenheit (18.8 degrees Celsius) workers typed 54 percent of the time and with a 25 percent error rate. When the temperature was raised to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), the workers were typing 100 percent of the time and with a paltry 10 percent error rate. From this data, it is clear that office temperature can have a drastic effect of worker output.
Of course, if you are in a cold climate, it may cost more to warm the facilities to these temperatures, but the incremental increase in heating costs, is far outweighed by the savings associated with increased worker productivity. Professor Hedge concluded that, on average, raising the temperature to the ideal zone saves employers $2 per hour per employee. If you multiply these savings across an entire corporation, you discover that the financial impact can be substantial.
More studies need to be conducted to properly isolate the ideal working temperature. Does this mean that companies seeking ultimate efficiency should pack up and head closer to the equator?
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15
79 here today in the office. This is crazy. No one listens. Guess I will start stripping. - anon49578
14
In PA it is currently 78 degrees in the office where I work. No one is happy. Way too warm and too many ladies in menopause here. I told my boss to fix it or off come the clothes. Oh yes. and we are all running fans at our desks. Very cost effective! - anon48573
13
I work for a state agency and it's October in Pennsylvania, its not even cold yet. It's 74 degrees outside and 65 degrees in here, maybe even colder. we have on coats inside and didn't even wear them to get to work! It's ridiculous my employer said either the air is on or the heat is on -- either or. i just want the air off, we don't need heat yet. Employers are cold blooded creatures anyways. - anon47953
12
I had to use a sick day because my office is so bleeping cold that I think I was getting hypothermia. I was shivering so bad and my fingers were so numb that I couldn't type. All that shivering made me so tired and weak. I had to go home. It's ridiculous. I wish we could sue the employer for it. - anon47687
11
In reply to: "I feel 70 is not too cold if it's a large room full of workers. And if some of the workers are cold than they aren't working as hard as the ones that are hot. Size doesn't matter and that wasn't a nice coment." I should been more specific in my previous comment. There are about 15 of us in a very large 70 degree room. We are *not* allowed to get out of our chairs and move around except for two breaks and lunch. So we have no opportunity to move to circulate our blood. We sit perfectly still except for our hands on the keyboard. So in this case, size does matter, for the larger people have more insulation to keep them warmer. Everyone should be allowed to be comfortable. And FYI it's just as nasty when someone tells me to get some meat on my bones even though I am perfect size according to size charts. - anon43098
10
I feel 70 is not too cold if it's a large room full of workers. And if some of the workers are cold than they aren't working as hard as the ones that are hot. Size doesn't matter and that wasn't a nice coment. - anon41535
9
Our office is a constant 70 degrees all year round. I sit with a quilt wrapped around me. In fact, all the other 'normal' sized people are cold. Our boss puts it on 70 so she and the rest of the fat people can be comfortable. I think it should be a happy medium at least 72 - 73. My hands are so cold I cannot type fast. - anon41424
8
There whould be a standard set range of, say 70-73 so no one can have their own personal comfort preference. Also, the temperature should be on display for all those that think or 'feel' that they are either too hot or too cold. The thermometer doesn't lie and always give an accurate indicator of the actual, real status. - anon39939
7
Our office is 60 degrees and everyone is unhappy about it, except the one that controls the thermostat. - anon38906
5
I just typed into a search engine "average office temperature" and this was the first article to pop up. The search began because my office is currently 77 degrees, my wpm drops when the office reaches this temperature because I am so warm that my fingers slip off of the keys. Thus I believe this study has obvious flaws. When will American companies value worker comfort and positivity over productivity? I wish to see this country become a tolerant and highly educated success, but turning up the heat is not the answer. - anon31571
4
Let me begin by saying our temperature here is *cold*: we wear 3 layers plus coats. In an office. Ridiculous! That having been said, does this study take into account the workload, time of day, time of production cycle (wk, mo, yr), or anything else? Past studies have shown that people are most productive in moderate (not cold, not too warm) conditions. I would say a *lot* more work is required. But I guess it was a brief, entertaining article, eh? - samgeek
3
What would be a solution for providing an individual employee with a non-electric, safe, economic heat source? - anon14401
2
I have noticed that in our department when the temperatures are hot that productivity is down especially after lunch. The warmer the room the more tired the employees got. When we turned on the production went up. - anon11237
1
Is there a top temperature to work in an office? Seems good to know before we ask for help cooling the room down. - anon692
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Source: Cornel University, Department of Ergonomics
Last Modified: 07 November 2009
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