Jul 28, 2008
Office Temperature Watch
While m’colleague Neil and I have been whinging about the temperature* in our office for a few weeks, we haven’t, until today, been able to do so with statistical verification.
I brought a cheap thermometer into work this morning and we’ve established that – even with a portable A/C unit blowing through the open door – the climate in our fifth floor cubbyhole is balmier than Bankgkok, Harare, Bermuda, Mexico City, Calcutta, Athens and Istanbul, to name but a few.
As I write, the mercury has just reached 36°C (97°F), which I think must make it one of the hottest offices around.
Unless you know different?
I invite you to head to your nearest purveyor of temperature recording devices (most hardware stores, some bigger newsagents and supermarkets, pretty much all DIY emporia) and plonk your thermometer somewhere for a bit, before taking a photo of it and uploading to flickr (we’ll make a pool if we get enough). We need photographic evidence because otherwise you could just say your office was 60°C, couldn’t you?
Post a link to it in the comments here, or let me know via flickr or something. The inhabitant of the hottest office will win something suitably cool.
[No cheating, now: I don't want to think of you clamping a thermometer between your thighs to get it up to a suitably impressive level, y'hear?]
* And speaking of whinging about the weather, it’s probably time to bring the crappy-summer-o-matic out of the rainy shadows where it’s been living for the last few years:
It may be even hotter -(adjusts glasses) – the therometer could be picking up the cool of the whiteboard which could insulate the gauge and give a false reading because of its lower surface temperature relative to the room. What happens when you put the themometer where there is more air around it, like standing up on a desk, near computers monitors and sweaty colleagues? You could hit the ton my midday.
Thermometer down the other end of the office is currently showing 26oC, but air flow is better down there, and my desk is right next to the kitchen. Will have to try to steal their thermometer at some point during the day.
[...] maybe our suffering is as nothing compared to you. Think you can do better? Meg’s posted about it here, and there’s some discussion on her Flickr pic as [...]
Nicely airconned here. Unlike in the cinema last night; aircon broke down half way through the Dark Knight which is not a short fillum.
This sadly debunks the myth that when it gets to a certain temperature you can go home. Suggest you and Neil ask for task rotation and suitable protective clothing…
You might find this interesting.
36 degrees is a mile over the recommendations of both the World Health Authority and the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers. The HSE has a handy guide to Thermal Comfort (I kid you not), but unfortunately it’s a book that you have to buy, but there’s some extra info here.
I’d have another word with your facilities manager, bring it to their attention, and remind them that the temperature is far above “reasonable comfort” levels. Then talk to your union if they don’t do anything.
I’m working from home today, as it’s less noise than the office for a big call.
The mercury (well electronic gadgetry) is currently at 32.6 degrees. Although the photographic evidence is at 32.6
Crikey! 36c is CRAZY. I thought it got hot at my work, so I checked this morning and it was nowhere near that. Shoddy cameraphone shot here.
I remember one day a few weeks ago, one of those rare days in Ireland when the outside temperature creeps above 20°C, when my office was so hot I couldn’t actually breathe, and my Cadbury’s Dairy Milk had to be eaten with a spoon.
Later, I discovered that some twat had turned the radiator on. I have no idea how hot it was, but lets say (for the sake of argument) that it was hotter than 36°C.
But.. what constitutes crappy weather?
(Also our office is nowhere near that hot, I feel for you!)