It’s a source of animosity within workplaces and living spaces alike: Someone is forced to share a space with someone whose temperature preferences are the opposite of their own, and a war breaks out over control of the thermostat. While one can simply move away from a cold-blooded roommate or get used to wearing a sweater for a warm-blooded spouse, a temperature war in the office can often be a long struggle in which there is no clear path to victory. But is there a furniture-related solution?
Is the road to thermostat peace paved with office installation services?
Using any these 5 methods, you can finally bring some semblance of harmony to an office divided by thermal conflict.
Acknowledge that you often can’t please everybody.
We don’t mean that you should give up right away; just acknowledge that an office is usually a very open space, and it is impossible to climate-control every individual worker’s space to their exact preference. Finding a happy medium that works for everybody will inevitably mean there will need to be at least some compromise.
Control and Improve the Flow
Often disputes over temperature are the result of poor air circulation. For example, if an enclosed office has a vent inside that is pumping as much heat or cold into the office as is being fed to the rest of the floor, the office will freeze or boil from the climate control before the rest of the floor even begins to notice it.
Similarly, if there are desks in the corners of a large space that has poor circulation, they will not only receive very little heat or air from the vents, but they will also find themselves mired in stale air throughout their days. In these cases, having a vent installed, or even just adding a few fans, can make a world of difference.
There are also devices called ‘air flow panels’, which are solid panels suspended from the ceiling, whichcan redirect air throughout the office. With correct placement, these can drastically improve circulation throughout the building, shielding workers who might otherwise be getting blasted directly from a vent output, and redirecting that heat or cold to the desks that need it.
Use Flexible Layouts to Play to Your Strengths.
If you know that there are some employees who prefer the heat and others who prefer the cold, the solution could very well be to simply introduce a flexible office system such as a Living Office or community workspaces with breakout areas, or even just proposing a seasonal swap of desks.
By keeping your seating flexible, you’re allowing your employees to pick areas that currently suit their preferences: For example, if one prefers a warmer climate, they could work at a desk by the window during the summer and closer to a vent in the winter, while one who prefers their workspace to be a bit cooler could work by the window in the winter and near the vent in the summer.
Disarm The Combatants (AKA The “If You Can’t Play Nice, You Can’t Play At All” Technique)
If some employees are not willing to compromise with a mutually beneficial solution to your climate control problems, simply take away their ability to affect it. Some digital thermostats can be password-protected, and lock-boxes can be installed around older analog models to prevent tampering.
Call Choice Office Installation Services For Your Temperature Solutions
Whatever solution you choose to deal with your ‘thermostat wars’—be it redeployment of demountable wall systems, the installation of air flow panels, the complete restructuring of your work area, or simply the installation of a lockbox around your thermostat, our skilled staff with office installation service experiencecan ensure that your solution is installed properly, quickly, and with minimal disruption to your workflow.