A Comforting Thought

John Boghos
StatGuardPlus Staff Writer 

From that cozy winter sweater, to the right pair of shoes, to the firmness of mattresses, and even workplace temperatures, people have very different ideals as to what it means to be comfortable. It makes sense, especially because we are all unique in our makeup since we are so diverse.

Everyone’s individual preferences regarding their sense of comfort partly reflect who they are. Yet an interesting dynamic comes into play in the workplace, the HVAC thermostat setting. This can become a hotly debated topic (pun intended) amongst all of a company’s employees. For example, there may be one person who, in Summer, works most efficiently when the AC is set to 68°. On the opposite end of the spectrum, another staff member chills easily and prefers the air conditioning thermostat to be set at 75°. With such varying desires a department manager or facilities manager can quickly find themselves entrenched in a debate that they hadn’t thought of previously.

In a post written by Becker Designs entitled, “How To Create A Comfortable Workplace For Employees”, the writer makes a very convincing case for the notion that if a company is committed to making workspaces comfortable that those efforts, combined with other key tips, will make huge strides with reducing the turnover of their employees.

They further expound by stating, “What’s more, some research suggests that direct employee replacement costs can reach as high as 50-60% of an employee’s annual salary! Clearly, it’s worth the investment to keep employees happy, satisfied and engaged for the long haul.”

With the goal of employee comfort and longevity in mind, a solution to this potentially divisive issue, is climate control. Writer Kiely Kuligowski wrote in the article titled “How to Resolve the Office Temperature Debate” in May of 2019, for BusinessNewsDaily.com, that it is to the entire company’s benefit to talk about this issue. And we couldn’t agree more.

From the article she states,

"When there is a debate around temperature, the solution should be to reach a happy, reasonable medium," said Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster. "It's important to address the issue with employees so they know you're listening to them."

Communication with your staff on this topic is critical to reaching a climate that will be both comfortable and highly productive for everyone. In your own team meeting, encourage them to speak freely and honestly because their work environment truly matters to them.

It will also demonstrate that they matter to you. Environmental thermostats protected by the StatGuardPlus remove the temperature debate that employees have to face on a day to day basis. Let us help you create that “cozy winter sweater” feeling in your workspace. And once you have those housekeeping and environmental ground rules set, please reach out to us to see how we can help.