HR intervenes after disagreement over office thermostat heats up: 'My coworker decided 72 degrees was “too cold” even though it literally feels like a sauna to the rest of us'

Employees work in a brightly lit open plan office

HR had to get involved after a disagreement about an office thermostat escalated into a dramatic confrontation.

Growing up, we probably thought that our dads were the most intense people on the planet when it came to controlling and setting the thermostat. Little did we know that we'd one day have coworkers who would give ol' Dad more than a run for his money.

I know staunch supporters of the air-conditioned office and the hot office don't want to hear this, but there really is no right answer when it comes to what temperature the office should be set at.  

Yet, it's crazy how something as simple as room temperature can send some people up the room-temperature wall, showing just how quickly their sanity can be thrown out of equilibrium, causing a spectacular crash-out in the middle of the office. There will be people in any office who fervently argue either side and that their perspective and experience are singularly correct for one reason or another. 

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Author image for Brad Dickson Brad Dickson
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    A thermostat on the wall in a bright office
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    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • Before we get any further, and despite my attempts at equivocation here… I will say this: It's easier to put layers on than it is to take layers off. At a certain point, of taking off clothing, you're no longer going to be dressed professionally—or at all—and it's a lot harder to peel your skin off than it is to simply put a sweater or a coat on. 

    This statement alone probably shows my bias, as I am genetically and physically built for the cold and can not handle heat. If it's a lick over 72 degrees, I am going to be a sweaty mess after walking anywhere, and when it's much hotter out than that, there's nothing worse than walking into work on a hot day only to find the office balmy and stuffy with no air movement. 

    However, as I have my own preference, there are various genetic and anatomical variations that may make someone more or less sensitive to heat or cold, and there are those who experience issues with circulation and such at temperatures that I consider to be pleasantly, comfortably cool. Thus, there remains no right answer to this age-old argument.

    Things got heated in this office when it came to the appropriate setting of the thermostat. Safe to say cooler heads did not prevail here, as HR had to get involved to break the whole thing up. Hopefully, a little time to think about it will give everyone a chance to cool off.

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    "Coworker started a fight over the thermostat and I learned more about human psychology than in college"

    So today was wild. My coworker decided 72 degrees was "too cold" even though it literally feels like a sauna to the rest of us. She marched into the break room and started this full-on debate about how the office climate affects her aura or something. Things escalated fast. I swear within ten minutes it felt like a live psychology experiment.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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    She was quoting random studies, I was just trying to get my coffee without sweating through my shirt, and somehow three other coworkers got dragged into analyzing whether cold actually increases productivity. I'm not kidding, at one point someone suggested we vote on our chakras to settle the dispute.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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    By the end of it, HR came in, looked like they were about to cry, and the thermostat was still unchanged. I learned more about passive aggression, negotiation tactics, and how far people will go for comfort in one morning than in any class I ever took.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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  • 05
    Has anyone else ever had a completely ridiculous fight over something so tiny that somehow turns into a full office saga?
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    Two workers argue in an office while another staff member looks on
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    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    DareWright I'm currently in a thermostat war with my coworker. I'm in perimenopause so I'm hot. She is on Ozempic and lost 80 pounds so she's skin and bones and always cold. She has her space heater on and I have my fan on. It's miserable.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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  • 08
    Employees work in a brightly lit open plan office
    via israelandrxde

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    a_sheila Yes, over non-dairy coffee creamer. Work closed 4 days due to a hurricane. No power during that time. First day back I empty our floor's fridge. You could smell it when you got on the floor.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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    Kathy didn't like I threw her creamer away. It's non-dairy she screeched. She must like creamer with the taste of rotting food. She talked sh about me for years. You would have thought I k led her first born with her reaction. Rolled her eyes to others behind my back.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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    Stupid junior high nonsense from a 60+ year old woman unable to regulate her emotions.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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    deathtooriginality I work remotely but with an option to come into the office. There was a period where my workload was pretty big so I preferred to work from the office because it was just easier that way. It's an open office floor plan. Every Monday we have a big meeting so more people come in. There is a particular group that always showed up in
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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    the middle of the day, turned the thermostat way higher, not bothering to ask anyone else... and then left within the hour. Of course not bothering to put the thermostat back the way it was. Not a big problem but just so incredibly annoying at how inconsiderate it was.
    via AggravatingCamp4814
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