Offices are known for being cold. The cold office has been a subject on notably credible websites like CNN and the New York Times, to trendier sites like Bustle and Mental Floss. Most of these articles say the same thing:

Offices are too cold for women… and yet thermostats are stuck in the 60’s, literally.

Most women I know that work in an office are cold. Office thermostats are often set to the high 60’s, and a lot of research points to this number being decided upon decades ago, when offices were full of men wearing suits all the time. Nowadays, with workforces mixed and dress codes more lax, office spaces are shared by men and women who are wearing less layers and lighter fabrics.

Of course, I can’t forget to mention that in some cases, HVAC systems are set to move air through offices that are full. Every cubicle has a vent blasting air down into it, but not every cubicle has a body and electronics warming it. That heating/cooling system is working overtime to make sure that non-existent employee is “comfortable”, while half of the actual workforce is huddled around space heaters or wrapped in blankets. Continue reading “The Battle for Control Over the Office Thermostat”