Why does my colleagues need for warmth over-ride my need for fresh air - open plan office rant

[sandyballs]

I work in a large open plan office, there are about 30 of us in here. I know this summer has been crap weather wise, loads of rain but it isn't cold is it! It's quite muggy. Whenever I open a window everyone moans and starts putting cardigans on and scarves FFS. What is wrong with them, we need fresh air! There are 30 of us breathing in the same old air and coughing and spluttering.

I opened the window a crack this morning and within 30 seconds a woman looked up from her computer and started complaining about her neck and draughts and leapt up to close it - she was about 25ft away from it! She has got trousers and boots on, a long sleeved top and a fleece .

Driving me mad, I need an office to myself.

I'm one of the always cold ones. Fortunately I have my own office so I can have it at a comfortable temperature for me.

If you are alone in finding it uncomfortably warm, could I ask,er, how should I put it, are you carrying a little extra insulation? There is a quite obvious dichotomy here in who finds it cold and who finds it hot.

Funnily enough eurochick I'd say I was one of the slimmest here and there aren't many places I can say that .

Your Still gonna get ill if someone is sitting 2 feet from you. Having one opening over the other side of the room doesn't mean the air isnt shared.

*wifi" my sister has raynoids does this mean she shouldnt enjoy her horses? its a very dangerious and hatefull illness you would have to be totally fucked up to just claim you had it if you didnt.
do you know if shes wearing insulated lining in her boots or heat packs in her pockets when she outdoors?

and im a cello

It's not only heating / windows that can upset fellow workers - I've also hada similar problem with lighting.

Used to work alongside a lovely woman, but we had totally opposite views on both warmth/windows and lighting. She not only liked it freezing with the windows wide open, but also hated electric lights. I hate shivering and need it to be light to work properly. Of course it wasn't so dark for her as she sat by a window, but for me, I needed lights on, whatever the weather/time of year. Was a continual battle over both....

Feel very lucky now to work in a small room with just one colleague who completely agrees with me about light and heat. It really is a big perk.

Jodie, I am alwys the cold one. I do have a cardigan, but I don't complain. My office has the AC unit, so the cold air has to go through my room first then the other rooms. And I never played flute, I was a percussion player!

I can't work in the cold as it sends me off to sleep, I go into shut down mode . I'm still wearing a bloody thermal vest at work as they put the air con on.

When it's hot I'm full of beans and can concentrate.

There was a collegue in my previous job who had a private office and always had it turned up to furnace level of heat. It was lovely going in to see her as I could relax. Everyone else moaned about it.

My sister is always freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing cold and is about 23 stone so I don't think the weight thing is relevant...1 incident doesn't make data though and all that.

Monster I guess all that drumming kept you toasty warm!

YANBU. They could always put another layer on, but there are only so many you can take off! Stuffy, muggy rooms make me feel nauseous.

Hate flourescent strip lighting too. Again it makes me feel queasy, especially when it's the flickery type.

krum,isnt outside air more oxygenated?

vol i hate them

thanks OP, you have remind me why I should stay self employed,

huge sympathy to you, it's really horrible working in a stuffy environment.

Sock - my point was that she claimed to have it, not that she had it (which she doesn't). Maybe I didn't make that clear. I am sure it is dreadful to genuinely suffer from it but to lie that you have an illness in order to guilt other people into being uncomfortable is a terrible thing to do IMHO.

And yes she was fucked up in all sorts of ways so that was the tip of the iceberg really.

weirdo

just realised i should have said her not you

Raynauds is very common amongst young women. It's a reason to wear long sleeves, possibly gloves (you can get thin indoor ones) and warm socks if you have it, not to turn the heating up. It's not a dangerous and hateful illness at all, it's hardly multiple sclerosis.

I like open windows and no flourescent lighting; I think I may have been your colleague, Greenshadow

2rebecca tell that to my sister whose had shit loads of skin grafts and lost 2 fingers caused by secondry raynauds. it can and does cause necrotising fasciitis.

I have this problem too, especially because of my age Get a desk fan or two and make sure it goes in their direction

There has been times I've felt really faint because of the heat but apparently there's nothing I can do about it hmm

There is nothing i health and safety legislation about heat for people, but there is for computers.

OP

I know how you feel, at uni one evening lecture I used to open the window and the same woman would sit next to me and complain about the cold - she wore a T shirt. She could have sat elsewhere, or put a cardi on or both - but nope, every week.

I'm a 'feeble person' who can get a stiff neck from a draft and a migraine as a result.

I work with lots of young things who don't wear enough clothes and complain about being cold!

The staff room is so hot and close you have to force yourself through the fug to get in! ....I snap off the heaters and declaim "it's July...it might be pissing donw but it's not cold"

And I also say you shouldn't be allowed to put the heating on unless you are prepared to pay for it! ...i say that at home too :D

AND i am always turning the a/c on cos customers are complaining about the heat.....interestingly they only seem to complain to me. ;)

Your sister's condition of secondary Raynauds (where the Raynauds is secondary to another disease) is rare fresh. The vast majority of Raynauds is primary and mild with no loss of skin. About 1 in 9 women get primary raynauds which is a mild condition.
Your sister obviously had alot of problems from her illness.