For many employees, summertime is the best time of the year. For others, summer summons feelings of dread, since they know they’ll spend most of those long, hot, beach-worthy days hunkered down at their desks.
Alternatively, working through those summer days can be as easy as the season’s gentle breezes. Follow these guidelines to solve summer’s typical workplace problems, for smooth sailing through the hot months:
1. Auto commutes on hot days
Hot weather has been scientifically proven to increase levels of aggression — hence the terms “hothead” and “heated” and their relevant connotations.
Given the uptick in summertime temperatures, commuters can expect to both display more bouts of road rage and to be on the receiving end of these tantrums more frequently come summertime.
This is no small problem. AAA reports that eight out of every 10 drivers has expressed “significant” road rage, including but not limited to, deliberate tailgating, purpposeful blocking of other vehicles and intentional thumping of other cars’ bumpers.
And that’s just the beginning: Between commutes to and from the office, there are eight or more hours of workplace labor subject to the residual effects of road rage, threatening to escalate tensions among coworkers.
Solutions? Meditating during your lunch break can prevent a bout of road rage on your return commute, which is likely to bemore stressful than its morning counterpart. Step outside, sit down on the grass and focus on breathing deeply for 10 t-15 minutes. This will lower your heart rate and give you a good dose of sunshine before your return to work for the afternoon.
2. Thermostat wars
Contrary to popular opinion, thermostat wars aren’t just a problem in households — they also cause disagreements in the workplace. And although many employees remain silent on the issue, everyone has a very different idea of what constitutes an ideal temperature at the office.
The differences tend to be split between the genders, as well, with men preferring cooler temperatures while women prefer warmer ones — further fueling the age old battle of the sexes.
If you work better on the cooler side of the thermostat and others don’t want to turn down the temperature, you’ll have to implement a solution to not be that guy (or gal) who applies deodorant at his or her desk.
This will involve exerting as little energy as possible. Although research suggests that sitting too much at work can be harmful, summertime demands we preserve our energy for staying active outside the office and fully enjoying all the season offers.
Solutions? Try to use the fax machine, printers, scanners and any other device that requires you to move around the office as little as possible. Another strategy is to move closer to these items in the office, provided space is available near them.
However, one study suggests that centralized printers and work devices can lower productivity, rivaling the water cooler as the location of choice for office banter.
Solutions? A case can be made to HR directors that workers should have access to a greater number of printers, scanners and fax machines. This will not only reduce the likelihood of distracting conversation and the number of steps employees must take each day to complete tasks, but also help employees not work up a sweat while jaunting to and from centralized printers, fax machines and scanners.
3. The summertime office party
Research suggests that nearly half of American workers dislike their coworkers. You may not belong to that camp, but some of your coworkers may.
Getting through the inevitable summer party can sometimes be a drag, but it’s best to attend regardless of any ill will you harbor toward…