Stay Cool This Summer and Next, with Our Mesh Ergonomic Chairs – Tips on Keeping Cool in the Office
Even though we’re now approaching the final stretch of summer, the warm weather and long days haven’t deserted us just yet, and besides, summer will be right upon us again in 2022 before we know it.
Now, as great as summer can be for most of us, during intense heat waves, life can be pretty unpleasant if you struggle in the heat and can’t keep cool. Working during a heatwave is one of the most unpleasant things you can do in intense heat, especially if you don’t have access to luxuries such as air conditioning.
Being too hot in the workplace is not only uncomfortable, but it can also damage your health and hinder your productivity levels in the process. This is why it’s so important to keep cool during the summer.
From mesh ergonomic chairs to iced coffee and fans, here’s a look at several ways to keep cool in the office during the summer.
Stay hydrated
The first tip for staying cool in the office during a heatwave is to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water.
When you’re too hot you perspire, and when you perspire you lose fluids and electrolytes. These fluids and electrolytes need replacing, otherwise, your body will suffer as will your brain and your productivity at work.
Dehydration can lead to brain fog, it can make you tired, it can cause headaches, and it can put your health at risk. During a heatwave at work, be sure to sip on cool water throughout the day to replace fluids lost via sweat and to stay hydrated.
Sit on mesh furniture
Ergonomic office chair products like the SOLOS Mesh Premium Ergonomic Chair are ideal for staying cool during the summer. The mesh fabric helps to promote air circulation and helps the skin to breathe, rather than sweat and cling to the material.
Leather office furniture may look stylish, but during a heatwave, it’s one of the worst things to sit on as the leather gets very hot and sticky and does not allow air to circulate. The result is your skin sticking to the material as you sweat. Mesh ergonomic chair products, however, have the exact opposite effect.
Sitting on a mesh office chair in a summer heatwave is not only ergonomically comfortable, it will also help you to stay cool and it will help to prevent perspiration.
Make use of fans
If your office doesn’t have AC during a heatwave, fans are probably the next best thing.
You can’ just invest in an enormous fan for the entire office unless you work from home by yourself, of course, so ideally you are going to need to invest in free-standing individual fans that employees can utilize at their desks and workstations.
Another benefit of going with mesh ergonomic chairs is the fact that the fans help to blow cool air on you so it will circulate on and around your body thanks to the breathable mesh design of the chair.
When using fans, be sure to have some form of ventilation as otherwise all they do is circulate warm air around the office, which ironically makes it even hotter as it essentially has the same effect as a fan-assisted oven.
If there is adequate ventilation, however, fans will help you and your employees to stay cool during the summer.
Wear cool clothing
Unless your office has particularly casual work attire, you likely can’t turn up to work in shorts and a tank top. However, that does not mean that you can’t wear loose-fitting, cooler clothing that still looks smart.
Instead of tight-fitting clothing, go with loose-fitting clothing to help your skin breathe and to help the air circulate. On top of loose-fitting clothing, be sure to choose cool materials and fabrics that help to wick sweat away. If you do find yourself sweating a lot, instead of cotton, go with a ‘charged cotton’ material which helps to wick sweat away instead of hold it and absorb it as cotton does normally.
Find a color scheme you like, and decorate your office how you want it to look. Be sure to accessorize and while it’s your office, in terms of productivity and practicality, lighter colors with plenty of natural light are probably the way to go here.
Keep blinds closed
Even though this may not be the most conducive work environment, if your office is becoming unbearably hot, keeping the blinds closed will make a difference.
If you have the blinds open, the sun will be shining through the windows all day, which of course will magnify the heat and make it even hotter. The blinds help to reflect and block the rays and heat from the sun, helping to keep the office cooler.
Keep windows closed
Another mistake that office workers tend to make in a heatwave is having doors and windows open as they think this helps keep things cooler. It doesn’t. It has the opposite effect. By having doors and windows open, you’re letting hot air into the office, so keep them closed.
Not only do open doors and windows let hot air into the office, they also allow flies and various other bugs and insects to get inside, which does not make for a very comfortable or relaxed work environment.
Unless it’s early in the morning or late in the evening, keep doors and windows closed to help keep hot air out of the office.
Replace warm drinks with cold drinks
If you’re a fan of an early morning cup of tea or coffee, during a heatwave you may want to replace these beverages with cold drinks instead.
Drinking a warm beverage may be nice in the cooler weather, but when it’s unbearably hot it can make things very uncomfortable. Instead of tea or coffee, why not drink and iced coffee or iced tea instead? That way, you still get the great taste and the caffeine (if that’s what you like) without the heat of the beverage.
Drinking iced beverages will help to bring your core temperature down slightly thanks to the ice, which can make a surprising difference.
