Control over the office thermostat seems to be out of the control of many office workers around B.C. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

It's freezing

Office temperature settings out of many employees hands & leads to conflict, study reveals

Jul 25, 2019 | 8:28 AM

NANAIMO — Control of office temperatures around the province are off limits for many employees, and is a source of workplace contention.

Two-thirds of 500 employees in the province surveyed online by pollster Angus Reid reported they had no control over the office temperature.

“About 60 per cent of those people find the office is too cold and interestingly enough it’s four times more likely that women are finding the office too cold than men,” said BC Hydro public affairs officer Karla Louwers.

The survey prepared for the Crown-owned utility company revealed a quarter of respondents had either argued with a co-worker over the office temperature or witnessed this type of workplace conflict.

Nearly a third of respondents said their employer had taken steps to prevent their staff from fiddling with the office thermostat.

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Louwers said the majority of women who reported being too cold at work use things like extra layers of clothing and blankets to warm up.

She said an office that’s uncomfortably too cold or hot can be more than an annoyance.

“It’s also a distraction. It’s not just about energy efficiency, but it’s about employees’ ability to do their work.”

The data supports other studies showing many office climate-control systems are based on an outdated thermal comfort formula designed to suit men’s metabolic rates.

Another study recently found women work better in warmer temperatures, while men had increased job performance in cooler conditions.

— with files from The Canadian Press

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes