As typical Brits we have a nationwide love to moan about our weather – it’s what we do best. When its rains we crave the heat but you can guarantee as soon as the sun comes out someone will have something to say about it. Temperatures have impressively rocketed this weekend with warm air pushing into the Northern parts of the EU and the UK overtaking places like Madrid and Rome in temperature. They were clearly no match for our fabulously unpredictable climate.
Being IT workers like ourselves we sit at our desktops pretty much all day and when the heat gets turned up outside the office can turn into somewhat of a sweatbox. We type away and hopelessly gaze out the window only to see everyone sat in beer gardens and enjoying Pimms o’clock in the sunshine. Well it’s not all doom and gloom, we’re got a few useful tips to help you along your way to becoming a summertime office pro.
If you’re on the top floor, respect
As we know heat rises so if you’ve pulled the short straw and sit on the top floor we have nothing but total sympathy for you. Try and head downstairs as much as possible to cool yourself down, although don’t go mad on the steps.
Drink water – lots
You need to maintain your hydration levels by consuming a lot more water than you usually do. While your sitting there sweating it out have you every asked yourself why? Your body is trying to cool itself down so it sweats and the moisture evaporates. Clever I know. So you need to make sure you are topping this up by drinking between 3-4 litres throughout the day.
Don’t eat hot food
Avoid the hot and hearty foods if you can. They will just make you warmer and feel extremely sluggish in the heat. Stick to salads or have an ice cream to cool yourself down afterwards. If you can try and bribe your boss to invest in a freezer for the office.
Invest in a fan
Offices have no air flow or little if you’ve got the odd window open. This can turn offices extremely muggy and rather unbearable. Some say fans just blow hot air around and are completely pointless but if the sun is belting through the windows they can become a life saviour.
Get out the office on your lunch!
We moan that we miss out on most of the summer while we’re stuck in the office. Make the most of your lunch hour and get yourself outside. Just being outside in sun and soaking up that vitamin D can lift up your day.
Shut the blinds
The main culprit for office heat is the glass windows. The heat from the sun is transmitted through the glass and gets trapped inside the room. Try shutting the blinds, slightly depressing getting rid of light I know, but it will definitely help towards making the office a cooler place to work.
Nick next doors air-con
If you’re unfortunate enough to work in an office which hasn’t splashed out on air conditioning but next door has then you might as well ask. It never hurts to ask.
Dress sensibly
Suits and sun don’t bond well together. When you’re hot the most important thing is airflow. Girls avoid tights at all costs and guys, we know they look awful but, short sleeved shirts are a must. Try and group together to send round an email to your director about the dress code while it’s hot. You never know.
In the end, there is only so much you can do to avoid the excessive sweats and embarrassing body odours. You just need to keep on top of your deodorant usage and stick to the points above to get you from sweaty to office ready.
Rachael Roberts – Digital Campaign Coordinator, Searchability
