Summer in the UK has been illusive this year, so you would be entirely forgiven if you have missed its arrival. However, over the past week it has definitely turned up and inevitably this has meant an increase in temperature in the office.
Now you will probably be well aware of the impact that heat can have on your business.
We have written previously on how to protect your IT infrastructure from excessive heat. But what about your most valuable assets?
Obviously people can’t perform at their best in very high heat. So to help your team and keep things moving, it’s important to keep your workplace cool. How can you do that in the summer? Here are our top tips.
Plenty of fans
First things first, think about how you can get the air moving. Fans on desks is an investment you won’t regret. Too many offices try to get away with one or two big standing fans that are set on rotate, but really the more fans the better – especially if your office doesn’t have air conditioning (but if it did, why would you be reading this?)
A further top tip is to put a cold glass of water in front of the fan which will further cool the air that is being circulated.
Plenty of fluids
On the subject of glasses of water, keeping up fluids throughout the day is vitally important. If you’re feeling sluggish or unfocused at any point there is a decent chance that it’s because you are dehydrated.
Obviously water is the best choice here. It’s also worth mentioning that you should probably avoid coffee as this can a dehydrating effect – the opposite ov what you’re looking for in the heat of summer.
Keep the sun out
There is a good reason why houses in southern Europe are build with shutters. Keeping the sun out in the middle of the day is one of the best ways to stop excess heat coming in.
You can replicate this approach by keeping the blinds in your office closed or partially closed – at least for part of the day. Whilst we all enjoy natural light coming in, if that also means the temperature sky rockets it isn’t an ideal situation.
Flexible dress code
Office dress codes have on the whole been getting more casual over the years, but summer certainly feels like a time where a more flexible approach to office wear can be taken in the interest of keeping cool and focused.
Obviously what that flexibility looks like will differ from office to office and industry to industry, so it might not be time to ditch the suit trousers for shorts just yet. Use your common sense but make sure you’re comfortable.
If after reading this it’s your IT devices that aren’t keeping up with the heat, WebbyTech is here to help you out. You can find a fully list of the services we offer
here, or you can contact us directly for a conversation about your needs
here.
