Heat Wave
Is it hot in here?
If you are in the Northeast or the Northwest, you are almost certainly experiencing unusually hot temperatures. If you are in the Southeast or Southwest, you’re also experiencing those hot temperatures, but they are not unusual for you guys.
High heat does bad things to people’s tempers, to their patience, to their ability to think clearly, etc. As leaders, we do a better job when we are calm and clear-headed. Our people will work better if they are not feeling angry and sticky. So, it’s important to find ways to keep the temperature in our workspaces comfortable. This might mean having everyone working remotely if you don’t have effective AC. This might mean opening the office to workers—and even to their families—if you do have AC in the office, but most people don’t have it at home. This might mean having a more casual dress code when outside temperatures are over 90°, especially if this means that the people who tend to “run hotter” can be comfortable with a higher AC setting, so that fewer people get so cold that they need to break out their “work sweater” in the middle of a heat wave (for those who don’t know, many people—most frequently women—find office AC makes the space too cold, so they might keep an extra layer at the office).
This is also a great time to boost morale by bringing in popsicles, extra cold drinks, or having an “ice cream social” after lunch or at the end of the day.
Take care of your people, and take care of yourselves.