Is the office too hot to handle?

Two in five employees have had a bust-up with a colleague over the temperature in their office, as it gets a little too hot for some to handle.

The UK’s changeable summer climate has caused tensions to rise in the workforce, with 42 per cent of office workers admitting they have fallen out with a colleague over the air conditioning. Of those, 41 per cent were left griping because they felt conditions were too cold, while 36 per cent were left sweating it out, waiting for some relief from the heat. Four in ten work with a colleague who is always chilly, even when the office is stifling for everyone else.

Researchers also found the temperature of the average office is usually a warm 21 degrees, but workers would prefer the cooler climes of an office conditioned to 18 degrees.

With two-thirds wishing their employer would do something to permanently improve the temperature in the office.

A spokesperson for Andrews Sykes said: “Keeping the peace at work can be a delicate balance, and sometimes something as little as a few degrees either way in the temperature of the room can cause tempers to boil. Summer 2018 has been one of the hottest on record, and for those cooped up indoors at work, these soaring temperatures have made it a bit of a slog.

“While the brunt of summer is now likely behind us, the weather forecast still shows sunshine to come, so keep a cool head in the office and head out for your Vitamin D when you can.”

Earlier this summer, Andrews Sykes brought the sun indoors at one lucky office, by creating the ‘office beach’. The summery set-up came complete with sand, cocktails and games, bringing a taste of a beach break away to an otherwise-drab office environment.

The study of 2,000 office workers found 31 per cent have been guilty of coming up with an excuse to get out of the building and catch some extra rays on a workday when it is sunny out. A third of those have pulled a sickie, and one in ten have said a relative was unwell and they couldn’t make it in.

Meanwhile, more than half admit to feeling glum being stuck indoors during the heatwave with a third feeling trapped inside. One in four would rather be out making the most of the weather rather than stuck inside in front of a computer.

To combat this, working Brits wish they could take 12 extra ‘sun days’ a year to soak up some extra Vitamin D.