Increased cooling at workplace can enhance worker productivity by 12%: IIM-A study

Tropical countries like India are likely to suffer the most from health hazards and productivity losses due to rising temperatures

With concerns of heat stress rising, amidst deteriorating climatic conditions, an increase in level of thermal comfort at workplaces can improve worker productivity by 12 per cent, a study by the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has found.
 

Conducted by faculty members Dheeraj Sharma and Rajesh Chandwani of IIM-A, and titled ‘Heat Stress and its effect on Psychological Aspects of Workers in India’, the study suggests a direct correlation of thermal comfort at the workplace and its effect on productivity of the workers. Further, the research also highlights the urgent need for policymakers and concerned organisations to extend the scope