Melting
If I ran the world — or even just ran the place where I work — things would be very different. Different in many ways, but at the moment the most important difference would be what would happen when the office HVAC broke down. (This happens with grim regularity, and is rather darkly amusing because, without naming names, heating and cooling technology is kind of what our little nonprofit group does.)
Firstly, I’d make sure that our office building had operable windows. Also, outlawing fans is a bad idea. Stagnant, hot, humid air feels ten times worse than hot, humid air with a bit of air circulation.
Secondly, I’d give everyone an automatic Heat Day, which is like a Snow Day except in reverse: close the office the instant the heat rose to 80°F (just under 27°C; for convenience, SI users could leave when it hit 25°C).
If that were not possible — visitors were coming from out of town, meetings were scheduled, etc. — then I’d at least try to do something to demonstrate sympathy and concern. Personally, I’d set up a little tiki bar in the break room, and serve free frozen drinks and chilled tropical fruit nibbles to all employees all day.
What I wouldn’t do is just tell people that they had to come in regardless, and to dress “lightly but appropriately” and just suck it up and be a mensch about the heat and the locker-room smell, all the while taking the day off myself.
I’m just saying. . . . It’s currently 84°F (about 29°C), and I’m about this far from either rebellion or melting. Or possibly subliming; it’s hard to tell.
