The recent heat wave in the United Kingdom brought to light that some businesses were suffering from a lack of preparation for high temperatures. If you're curious how your office design in London can help you prepare for a future rise in temperature, here are 6 tips to give you a helping hand.
But First; What Causes A Heat Wave?
A heat wave is a time period (usually around 2-3 days but can be longer) when the weather is unusually hot for that time of year. They are caused by high pressure systems. These systems are slow moving which is why they can persist for days (or even weeks).
Heat waves can be very serious, in July of 2006, temperatures reached 37 centigrade (the average for that week is normally around 21-23c). As a result of these high temperatures, some people noticed that the roads had melted!
Prepare For The High Temperatures With These 6 Tips
- Install Air Conditioning
Perhaps one of the obvious ways that office design in London can help you prepare for a heat wave is to install air conditioning in your place of work.
At Oaktree Interiors you can refurbish your current office to add air conditioning or design a new office space with air conditioning included. This way, when next heat wave strikes, you and your employees can relax and carry out your tasks, safeguarded from the heat wave in your new office space.
- Add A Fan to Every Desk
If you can't quite afford to add air conditioning, you could add a desk fan to every desk. This way, employees can have some relief from the heat at their desk.
A desk fan can be a simple and cost effective way to provide your employees with some relief from the summer heat, and when combined with other items on this list, it could also possibly help increase their productivity by making them feel more comfortable in the workplace.
- Add A Water Cooler To The Office
During a heat wave, it is very important that people stay hydrated. By adding a water cooler to the office, you're placing cold refreshing water in a place that is convenient for members of staff to access.
You could also create some small posters to place around the workplace directing them to their nearest water cooler reminding them to stay hydrated.
- Relax The Dress Code For Hot Days
If your office has a smart dress code, perhaps you could reduce it to smart casual when the local area is experiencing higher than average temperatures. For example, if people in the office space usually wear ties, allows them to not wear the tie could make those people feel cooler.
Allowing staff members to dress down could help them feel more comfortable during a heat wave. Additionally, many believe that feeling more comfortable in the office can help to boost productivity in the workplace.
You could communicate this change in dress code through company email messages or perhaps a company newsletter. This way all of your employees know what is and what is not acceptable to wear in the workplace.
- Email Hot Weather Advice A Few Days In Advance
Send your employees a list of tips to help keep the office cool during a heat wave. For example, keeping electronics plugged in can increase the room temperature. Politely ask employees to not charge phones or any other devices in the workplace as the chargers may give off extra heat.
You could also provide people important health advice regarding heat waves. A good place to look for such information is the NHS, who suggest to “seek help from a GP or contact NHS 111 if someone is feeling unwell and shows symptoms of:
Breathlessness,
Chest pain,
Confusion
Intense thirst,
Weakness,
Dizziness,
Cramps which get worse or don't go away."
- Ask Your Employees What They Would Like
If you're struggling to think of ways that you can improve the working conditions during a heat wave, ask your employees what they feel would help them to feel more comfortable in the office during high temperatures. You might discover something that you had previously overlooked.
Upgrade Your Office This Summer With Office Design In London Services From Oaktree Interiors. Give Our Team A Call Today
If you're considering upgrading your office design to prepare for the heat this summer, give the Oaktree team a call and enquire about our office design in London services.
We are dedicated to providing businesses with high quality professional office services such as office design, office fit outs and office refurbishment. At Oaktree we understand that your business is unique and as such your office design needs are also unique. That is why there is no 'house style' at Oaktree; instead each office interior proposal is designed to meet the needs of your business.
Our office services are not limited to office design in London. We also provide services such as office interiors in Mayfair and office refurbishment in Hackney. If you're interested in learning more about how an office service from Oaktree Interiors could help your business, please don't hesitate to contact our team today and make an enquiry.
Additionally, if you are interested in office design in London or any of our other office services, you can contact our team and request a free consultation. Also, if you would like any further information regarding the many professional office solutions that are available from Oaktree Interiors, our friendly and dedicated team of office professionals will be happy to help. So if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to give the Oaktree team a call today.
If you would like to contact our team you can do so in numerous different ways:
- To contact us by telephone please call,
0845 474 3556. - To contact us by email, please send an email to,
hello@oaktreeoffice.com. - You could also contact us by filling out our contact form.
- Or you can use the “chat with us!" feature in the bottom right of your browser.
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