Our offices’ temperatures may be set by a ‘thermal comfort model’ from the 1960s based on the comfort of a 40-year-old man. It's time for all of us to have a toasty winter
Mid-afternoon was when I would put on my cardie. The office used to just get colder.
Now winter has us in her tightly held grip, female office workers across the motu will likely be grabbing their cardies too.
Research consistently shows women prefer – and even work better at – higher indoor temperatures than men. Women, on average, prefer an office temperature at about 24C; men are most comfortable at about 21C.
The reasons are in the science.
At the same body weight, women have less muscle on average than men to generate heat. We have more fat between our skin and muscles, so our skin feels colder because it's slightly further away from blood vessels. Women’s lower metabolic rate also means we have less ability to produce heat when we are cold.
Then there are hormones. Women usually have large amounts of oestrogen which dilates blood vessels at our extremities, which means more heat loss. We also have lots of progesterone, which can restrict blood flow to the skin. As a result, women’s hands, feet and ears may be 3C cooler than men’s.
We are not alone. Males of many bird and mammal species have been shown to congregate in the shade, whereas females and offspring like to sun themselves.
But here’s the kicker. Our offices’ temperatures may be set by a ‘thermal comfort model’ created in the 1960s based on what would be best for an average 40-year-old man.
If this is the case at your office, researchers reckon office temperatures will overestimate women’s resting heat production by as much as 35 percent.
It's no wonder we are reaching for our cardies.
You may at this point be asking, what’s the fuss about? Just put on another layer of clothing and be done with it.
Well, sunshine, the thermostat debate just heated up.
A study of 550 college students found women perform better on cognitive tasks in warmer environments, and men do better when it's colder. It found women performed better on maths and verbal tasks as the room temperature increased. The opposite happened for men.
While the magnitude of improved performance for individuals wasn’t great, over a workplace and over a workforce, the temperature of our offices could be having a chilling effect on productivity for half of us.
Yes, people, regardless of gender, will have individual preferences. Yes, age, body type and other factors affect our metabolic rates. And, yes, office dress codes and the type of building we work in affects our comfort.
But if you are huddled at your desk in three sweatshirts, two pairs of socks and fingerless gloves, you are not imagining it. You are also unlikely to be working to the best of your ability. Let alone feeling valued or engaged.
Encourage your employer to look at ways to personalise temperature control. Heated chair and foot warmers anyone? A desk reshuffle based on air conditioning vents perhaps?
That way we can all have a toasty winter.
