Work-from-home Pointers: Better Temperature, Better Productivity

In the animal world, experts set up a food chain where the strongest and the most cunning sit at the top. We’re talking about lions, tigers, and bears. Nobody would want to mess with these heavyweights. And if we look at productivity as getting the prized catch, the food (which means those of the lower rung of the food chain), we’ll find that occasionally the paths of these big carnivores do cross. And what happens next is anybody’s guess.

Interestingly, black grizzlies follow the footprints of a big Siberian tiger for the sole purpose of forcing the latter off its kill. It’s definitely the survival of the fittest where the strong will survive. Luckily, we’ve evolved. We need not be as brutal to gain the upper hand in our productivity. But let’s not forget, for 3 million years, humans have lived as hunters like any tiger or bear would.

Truth be told, these days, we don’t need to be out for blood to eat. And yet, productivity is still the name of the game. While many factors affect one’s productivity at work, one key aspect is your environment’s temperature. And that means how hot or how cold your workplace at home is can be a huge factor in classifying you as a wonder-worker or a so-so one.

Too Hot to Function

There’s a quibble that goes if the kitchen is too hot, then you have to get out of the room. Though that can surely apply to anyone’s kitchen, that is also spot-on when working at home.

A study done by CareerBuilder on 4,285 workers working full-time showed that 22% claimed their workplace is too hot for them to concentrate well. Another 11% say the opposite, saying their workplace is too cold to be productive.

That tells us that, indeed, the right temperature is a factor when you’re gunning for productivity. An entrepreneur would therefore be wise to invest in acclimatizing his workplace right. Now, the same should hold true for you during these pandemic times. Working at home these days should mean giving your environment a timely boost.

And a good way to do that is by making sure your air conditioning works. If you have one but have been mulling over having it repaired, giving a reliable AC company a call should be paramount. Not only do you get quality service, but also you’ll have your AC running in tiptop shape in no time.

On your part, you should consider 80 degrees Fahrenheit as the tipping point when it comes to productivity. Thus, you’d do well to target temperatures below such temperature. Take note that this should also mean that if you plan to work outside, you’d be more productive in the early mornings and later in late evenings.

Too Cold to Think

But as mentioned, it’s not only too hot places that can zap your productivity. Getting an Arctic temperature can be a downer too.

Research done by Cornell University found that at temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), workers had 44% more clerical errors. Worse, the study found that at that temperature, employees were 50% less productive than where they were at 25 degrees Celsius.

The research pointed out that when workers were too cold, their productivity dropped as they were distracted. In short, employees would cost 10% more per hour, making employers suffer.

This should be a wake-up call for you when working from home. Your workplace is not ideal when it’s too cold. You might wonder why so, but the study also had an answer for that.

When our body temperature goes down, our bodies have to work double-time to keep warm. So instead of putting a premium on your brain to focus, now your body will have to channel said energy to keeping your body as warm as it can be.

Moreover, psychologists have found out that our social interactions also suffer in terms of quality. When the temperature is cold, it’s easy for us to conclude that our co-workers are also behaving coldly towards us. It seems that physical warmth translates to emotional warmth. An ideal environment for you to work from home should therefore be neither too hot nor too cold.

Just the Right Temperature Is Best

A good way for you to start is to install an air duct system and a wall-mounted split-type system. That way, you get both heating and also cooling elements in your workplace. Consider it a crossbreed.

But it certainly pays to keep your eye on your home’s temperature. A better temperature means greater productivity awaits you at the end of the day.

Meta title: Remote Work: Maintaining the Temperature for Productivity
meta desc: When you want to be productive, ensuring you have the best temperature is vital. How hot or how cold your working environment is can dictate your output.