Since I started working in an office environment, I have had to deal with the same issue – being freezing cold at the office, especially during the summer. This is especially challenging for summer fashion and style, but it speaks to something deeper.
It is 2021 -I just want to confirm that. Since 1993, this same issue has plagued me, no matter what office I have worked at – the over cooling of the office place. I am not requesting that there be no A/C. However, when my fellow colleagues and I have to wrap ourselves with shawls and heavy sweaters, to make it through a work day, I draw the line. Especially, when you walk outside and are greeted with gorgeous warm temperatures and you have to peel off the extra layers, and deal with a 15 degree difference in temperature (feels like it!)
So in 2021 – why can’t we modulate the temperature, so that is best suited for everyone at work ?Why don’t we stop catering to a select few, who need the A/C turned up that high, who, ironically, always appear to be the decision makers?
I am lucky to have a private office space and just as it was at my previous work spaces, I have a thermostat in my office – WHICH IS PURELY DECORATIVE!! It does not allow me to have any control of my office temps at all. And apparently, the A/C goes on throughout the Spring and throughout the Fall, so I am dealing with it 3 seasons of frigid temps throughout the year. And then in the winter, the thermostat is still set to low, so I am freezing during the winter in my office also.
I am constantly uncomfortable.
I honestly cannot function well in cold temps. My fingers do not type as fast and I am not at my optimal. However, at my current office, space heaters are banned, so I have to wrap myself with a shawl, which often leaves lint on my clothes, or fear freezing.
And yes – it affects what I wear to work, which bothers me a lot. I like wearing fashionable clothes to work, but it is no fun layering clothes, to attend work, when the outside is gorgeous and warm. I don’t feel like I can dress for myself, but always have to ensure that I am dressing for my office temperature.
And it goes to a deeper issue, doesn’t it? The composition of the office work place has changed. It is no longer solely populated by those who typically, prefer the temperature cool, which provides their optimal work place environment. The office work place is changing in composition and it is even seeping into management.
So – now the mix of decision makers need different environments to flourish.
And honestly, I am tired of adapting. For years, I have had to either populate my office with space heaters, humidifiers or wraps, to endure. And I am done. As a business owner, I want my needs to be considered. I cannot flourish in an environment that does not acknowledge, that I have different needs, to succeed. And if I am succeeding, so is the business.
And so, I will continue to a disturber on this issue. I have the right to have an office environment, that recognizes that I need a different temperature to succeed! And trust me – I am not alone.
The cooler temperatures have been keeping me from being at my optimal – BUT NO MORE!
But that’s just one Diva’s view.
#coldoffice #makingchange #beingmyself
Diva's View 