Study finds hot weather has a chilling impact on worker productivity
Air conditioners may be an unsustainable approach to keeping workers cool, the research suggests.
Rising outdoor temperatures negatively impact worker productivity, even in air-conditioned environments, according to new research led by the University of Exeter. The findings suggest air conditioning may not be a sufficient tool in fighting rising temperatures; a sentiment echoed in other research, which suggests passive cooling, greenery, and behavioural changes are a more sustainable approach.
For their study, researchers focused on a Chinese factory that employs state-of-the-art climate control systems that maintain a steady temperature of 25°C and a relative humidity of 60 per cent. The factory specializes in producing silicon wafers, critical components of solar panels. The study authors say a pattern emerged as outdoor temperatures and worker productivity were tracked.
Productivity decline
Despite the factory’s climate-controlled environment, every 1°C increase in outdoor temperature caused worker productivity to fall by 0.83 per cent.
“We usually think about climate change in terms of its impacts at huge scales, but it also affects individuals,” Dr. Jingnan Chen from the University of Exeter said in a statement.
“Previous research has shown that – unsurprisingly – hot conditions reduce productivity when people work outdoors or in buildings without air conditioning. Our findings – showing that heat affects workers even in a climate-controlled factory – provide further evidence of the likely economic impacts of climate change.”
It isn’t just the temperature
Rising temperatures aren’t the only environmental factor that can impact worker productivity.
Separate research has found that the proximity of offices and residential spaces to parking garages and nearby roads exposes individuals to harmful gasoline fumes, elevating the risk of lung irritation, headaches, and even long-term health risks like cancer and asthma.
Thankfully, scientists have come up with a workaround: It turns out plants can remove cancer-causing gasoline fumes and other harmful pollutants from the air we breathe.
A May 2023 study found a small green wall stocked with a variety of indoor plant species removed up to 97 per cent of the most toxic compounds found in gasoline fumes within just eight hours.
The plants adapt to the level of toxins in the air, becoming more effective as concentrations increase.
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