Toasty Employees = Productive Employees
I’ll admit it. The “errand” I just ran was only an excuse to go outside and de-thaw in the sun for five minutes. Following an hour and a half long call in a conference room that competes with Syracuse (Go Orange!) for record lows, sitting at my desk covered in two jackets wasn’t going to cut it.
Really, what’s five minutes? According to research by Cornell University just featured in Fast Company, my sun bathing trip might actually cost me a lot. The study found employees in an ideal temperature setting saves companies an average of two dollars per hour, per employee. More specifically, when temperatures are low (68 degrees), employees make 44 percent more errors and are half as productive as when temperatures are warmer (77 degrees). Seventy-seven degrees sounds a little toasty, other studies show 71 to 72 degrees will do the trick.
It makes sense. The more energy you have to expend feeling warm and comfortable, the less energy you have to devote elsewhere. In short, if you want productive and inspired employees turn down the AC and invest in this fashionable accessory or better yet these. What are other factors that increase your productivity at work?
Although, I would argue here at Prosek we work under the most trying of conditions from typing emails while on a treadmill to taking calls in airport security lines. Share your extreme workplace conditions and what helps you stay productive. 