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BookMarks Next Prev BUSINESS CASUAL CORPORATE CULTURE POWER LUNCH OFF THE CLOCK

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2005

Im not cold, and you only think you are

I If Im cold, then we need
to raise the thermostat; if youre cold, you must be delusional because it feels fine in here to me.
BY RICHARD PACHTER
rpachter@herald.com

THE HERALD

The female perspective

I am sitting here at my desk, fingers frozen, wearing a winter jacket, trying to type. Gloves would prevent me from being able to type. A short skirt lets the icy currents travel up the legs and long pants are necessary. Here in the office with three thermostats, one man selfishly has persuaded maintenance to stop his thermostat knob from being turned up any warmer, and when that wasnt cold enough, scotchtaped it to stay at below 60 degrees, with air from his office wafting out to the next office where this writer sits. The maintenance and other workers defer to him, being a boss, rather than anyone else, and I have tried. I need ideas about combating winter in this workplace. CONNIE GREEN, North Miami
ANDREA MASCHIETTO/SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

This is anecdotal, not scientific, but I swear that men and women perceive temperature differently. Judi Smith, humorist Dave Barrys assistant, tells me its not just a matter of perception. These goose bumps are real, she declared, and I knew that she was not making it up. But I see plenty of mostly young women wearing sandals, flip-flops or other minimal footwear, short skirts, sleeveless tops and bare midriffs, shivering and protesting about the frigid interior temperatures in their offices. Im certainly not complaining, but I would suggest that rather than bowing to style or the desire to be provocative, they put on some clothes or something to cover their extremities. START WITH SOCKS Shoes and socks might be a good start, although those shocking pink-painted toenails will be obscured. Long pants would help too, as would a top with sleeves. As proud as one may be of a belly-button ring, sacrificing coolness for warmth may be wise. But thats just me, and Im not usually cold, especially indoors in South Florida. After all, I went to college in and around Buffalo, so I know what cold is. (Its bad.) I also know what to wear. Im not Mr. Fashion, but I usually toil in my cubicle (and wander the halls) in a shortsleeved cotton golf-type shirt, cotton pants, and the everpopular leather-shoes-andcotton-socks combination. No danger of my being profiled in Esquire, but I dont complain about the thermostat either unless its too high and a torpid malaise sets in, especially after a big lunch. But plenty of women in my workplace including Judi Smith dress warmly and still suffer from the chill. One even keeps a blanket stashed under her desk, which she occasionally pulls out and drapes over her lap, as if she were at the Army-Navy football game. (Hope her team

www.herald.com

ICEBERG OFFICES
EDITORS NOTE: On Sept. 19, we ran a story on offices in Hong Kong where air conditioners blasted and the workplace was unnaturally cold. It reminded us of South Florida where super-cold air conditioning keeps humidity levels under control but also makes some office workers feel like theyve booked passage to the North Pole. In Hong Kong, according to the story, frigid offices are a mark of prestige: Were so modern and luxurious we can afford to freeze our workers. The same day the story ran, Richard Pachter, Business Mondays book reviewer, stopped at my desk to offer this theory: Perhaps feeling cold in the office is a gender-based phenomenon. Then a letter arrived from North Miami reader Connie Green complaining of a workplace so cold that she wishes she could wear gloves. A man, it seems, controls the thermostat there. She wanted solutions. Alas, we have none to offer, but here are Pachters and Greens thoughts on shiver-inducing workplaces and the sexes. MIMI WHITEFIELD

I see plenty of mostly young women wearing sandals, flip-flops or other minimal footwear, short skirts, sleeveless tops and bare midriffs, shivering and complaining about the frigid interior temperatures in their offices.
And Ill concede there are some offices that even I find chilly. There is one meeting room where I expect one day to discover ice-cube trays placed on its oaken credenza in testament to its near-frigid Fahrenheit mark. Another conference room could easily have meat hooks with sides of beef hanging from its ceiling . In this age of sky-high energy costs, one would think that building management would aim to conserve, or at least equalize, room temperatures to eliminate frigid zones. But it may be futile. WFOR/WBFS Communications Director Lee Zimmerman reports that in an attempt to offset the hot lights, the television news studio is usually kept at 67 degrees, though visitors and staff often feel chilly. I cant tell you how many times Ive heard Why didnt you warn me? I would have worn a sweater, from guests, he says. NO TRAUMA Dr. James Kraut, a psychologist in Coral Springs, reports that his offices thermostat is subject to centralized control by the buildings custodial staff. Its usually a bit cooler than we prefer. We tried closing vents, but its just no use. I keep a sweater on hand, which I often have to offer to my patients, says Kraut. Hopefully, none are traumatized by the experience. The solution may require a bit of group collaboration, but ultimately, your cold may be my hot. In that case, it feels just fine in here, so keep your hands off that thermostat, willya!

wins.) Ive also heard rumors of stashed space heaters, but that sounds a bit far-fetched. After digging around a bit, I learned that according to a study (Comparison of Thermoregulatory Responses Between Men and Women Immersed in Cold Water, Tikuisis et al, Journal of Applied Physiology, October 2000), the difference in the way men and women respond

to the same temperature is a function of their size and percentage of body fat and not some hard-wired physiological variation. MY WIFE IS PERFECT Makes sense, but I refuse to get involved in anything involving the assessment of body fat. Ive been married too long to fall into that trap (to a woman of perfect weight and proportions, of course).

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