Anyone who works in a government building or is a guest has known it for a long time: It’s cold, the government is saving energy. In invitations to events in official buildings, which want or have to comply with the recommendations of the government, one often finds a friendly warning to please dress warmly: “We would also like to comply with the energy saving ordinance of the federal government. that the temperature of the event rooms is currently a maximum of 20 degrees.”
Banks are also currently jittering, especially at state banks and the state development bank KfW. And because employers don’t want to treat their employees too harshly, they put things right. The KfW subsidiary Ipex-Bank has just distributed blankets. The idea came from the executive floor. At the beginning of January, around 800 employees in Frankfurt each found a free beige fleece blanket with an embroidered company logo in their mailbox. The offices at Ipex Bank are also cool. Because of the official Specifications for securing the energy supply the rooms of the state KfW are only heated to a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius. “Trying to get to 19 degrees from above, they should definitely not be undercut,” said a spokesman. That feels really cool. “Everyone has their own strategy for dealing with it. Some bring sweaters, others use blankets.”
In many companies, after a long break, it is common again, also because of the Corona distance, to give employees clothes with the company logo as gifts. And in this energy-saving winter, it’s more like sweaters than T-shirts, which you wouldn’t be able to show off in the cold offices anyway. Also popular: warm hats, with which, for example, the Southgerman newspaper made their employees happy.
In any case, most employers would much rather it if employees disregarded the dress code and showed up in the office in warm clothes, ideally even company logo clothes, than if they simply ignored the room temperatures specified by the company. In some authorities, for example in the town hall of the city of Menden, employees have media reports according to fan heaters and blankets brought to the town hall. The city of Bottrop banned it without further ado.
Overall, how useful are cool offices?
The Hessian Landesbank Helaba is currently distributing warm vests to its people. Even before Christmas, they were invited to try them on, and employees were asked to choose the right size. “There was a big run,” said a spokesman. The first of the dark blue quilted waistcoats with the company logo on the chest have been distributed since Wednesday. Many employees would now wear them at work or in the canteen, they radiate warmth even on cold fingers. “The first ones have already been spotted outside, which is of course allowed, even if they are primarily intended for the office.” The Bloomberg news agency first reported on the action.
Some employees who are freezing in government buildings wonder how useful the cool offices really are overall. A Berlin official says that anyone who constantly thinks about freezing, straightens their warm blanket and blows on their frozen fingers, can’t concentrate very well. “And because of the cold, nobody wants to ventilate anymore.” Which may not be the best idea given the risk of corona infection.