Shivering at work? Broker a truce in the Thermostat War

Have you ever walked into a workplace where the person at the front desk is hunched over and wearing three sweaters and greets you with an ice-cold handshake—in August?

According to a 2014 study, employees’ top complaint is being cold at work—including during the summer. In your own workplace, do you see sweaters on the backs of chairs or hear the hum of space heaters beneath people’s desks?

These cold offices are evidence of an ongoing Thermostat War. Some employees freeze while others are sweltering. Others couldn’t care less. When you are cold, you leave your desk in search of hot beverages, you’re lonely or view co-workers around you as distant, and you don’t recognize others’ work because you are physically and psychologically withdrawn.