Some ways that hot staff can beat the heat and stay cool at work are to stop drinking tea and coffee, buy a personal fan, and only eat small amounts.
With the latest summer heatwave in full swing, office experts at Londonoffices.com have put together a list of some of the best ways to cool down and stay focused in a hot workplace.
Other top tips include keeping the windows closed, dressing appropriately, staying hydrated at all times, and resisting the urge to go for a walk in the sun during your lunch break.
Make sure the blinds are closed, stay away from electronics, and pour cold water on your wrists to round out the list.
Chris Meredith of Londonoffices.com says, “Keeping cool at work is crucial to making sure that employees stay comfortable, alert, and productive throughout the working day.
“If the building doesn’t have to be air-condition it can start to feel more like a sauna than an office, so finding other ways to reduce the temperature is a must.
“Most of these solutions are simple but effective ways to keep your office thermometer from going into overdrive, so if you can’t stand the heat at work you might want to try a few of them out.’
These are some of the best solutions to keeping cool in your office, according to Londonoffices.com. Note that a lot of these can apply to working from home or working outside too.
Dress formally.
What you wear is the first thing you should think about if you want to stay cool at work. Even though thick shirts make sweat spots look bad in the summer heat, they are perfect for the cold. Linen shirts look great over a t-shirt, whether they are buttoned up or not. You could also wear a maxi dress to the office if the pattern is appropriate. You can even get dresses that look like shirts, which are great.
Make sure you’re dressed right no matter what, because if you’re not, you’ll be in pain all day.
Personal admirers
If your workplace doesn’t have air conditioning, buying a fan is a smart investment. Only when you get up from your desk will you have to worry about the heat, so put one next to your office computer. If you put a glass of cold water in front of the fan, you can also use it as a makeshift air conditioner.
Stay hydrated.
Even though it seems obvious, a lot of office workers forget that even though they spend most of the day at their desks, they are still losing water quickly. Try freezing a bottle of water the night before so that you can drink cold water all day the next day. If your staff can’t get clean water from the tap, give them bottled water.
Remove the coffee.
Even though drinking a hot drink at work won’t make you feel warmer, the caffeine in tea and coffee may speed up your heartbeat and increase blood flow, which raises your body temperature. If you must have coffee, drink it in the morning when it is cooler.
Skip the heavy lunch.
Even though drinking a hot drink at work won’t make you feel warmer, the caffeine in tea and coffee may make your heart beat faster and increase blood flow, which raises your body temperature. If you have to drink coffee, do it first thing in the morning when it is cooler.
Keep the windows shut.
Obviously, you’ll be tempted to think that opening a window will let a breeze in and cool down the hot air in your office. On the contrary, keeping the windows open lets the warm air outside replace the cold air that has built up inside your office.
Do not go for a midday stroll.
After sitting at a desk all day, there’s nothing better than going for a walk outside during your lunch break. Even a short walk around the office building in this heat will make you drenched in sweat, so staying inside, as bad as it may seem, will put you near the cooler air.
Keep the curtains drawn.
Even though most of us like having lots of windows in our offices, it’s time to close the blinds when the light is too bright. You’ll have to work in artificial light, but you’ll look a lot better.
On your wrists, water
It might seem strange to run your wrists under the faucet when you’re in the bathroom, but doing so cools the major veins that run through them and lowers the temperature of your blood flow. This could also make your elbow bend better.
Avoid using electronics
Electronic devices like phones, laptops, and tablets are necessary for everyday work, but they give off a lot of heat. Even though you have to use them at work, using them less will help you stay a little cooler.
Adjust the workday
If you can’t change the environment, change the hours. If their job allows it, you can think about letting workers come in earlier or stay later if they want to. This lets them not only avoid working during the hottest and worst time of the day, but it may also keep them from having to drive in the heat. It could also make life easier for people who work in factories or other places other than an office.