Photo unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

Amid a relentless heat wave, a story about a company restricting office air conditioning to cut electricity costs is stirring controversy online.

The post, titled "A company that turns off the AC at 3 p.m.," appeared recently on Remember, a workplace community platform.

According to the author, identified only as A, the company's CEO ordered that the office air conditioner run only from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. A said the unit shut off at 3 p.m. even as the post was being written.

"It's 36 degrees outside and emergency heat alerts keep coming in," A wrote. "Everyone sweats on the morning commute, and they keep sweating after the AC goes off — the office reeks."

A added that the heat was fraying everyone's nerves while draining their energy. "You can see the stress piling up on everyone," the post read. "There are dozens of personal cooling products people bought with their own money, but they're completely useless in this heat."

A expressed particular frustration that the CEO appeared to prioritize cutting electricity costs over employee working conditions.

"It's weather where you break into a sweat the moment you step outside, and somehow there's a CEO who only cares about the electricity bill no matter how it affects employees' productivity or health," A wrote.

A also took aim at the CEO's office habits, saying the boss rarely came in and, when he did, conveniently timed his visits to coincide with the hours the AC was running. "Employees are stuck in the office all day — this isn't a prison, but it feels like we're being treated as inmates," the post read.

Employees had repeatedly asked to work from home, but the requests went nowhere.

"We asked multiple times to let us work remotely, and it got us nowhere," A wrote. "I can't tell if it's because he's worried we won't work from home, or if he just enjoys making our lives miserable — but sitting here, I'm starting to wonder what I'm even doing at this place."

A, who said they had not been at the company long, wrote that quitting was now on the table. "I now understand firsthand why no one stays here long," the post read. "The heat is one thing, but the CEO's mindset — not caring at all about employee discomfort while obsessing over the electricity bill — is just off-putting." A closed by asking readers: "I'm thinking of just quitting. Am I overreacting?"

Commenters were largely sympathetic. "Start job hunting and get out fast," one wrote. Others said, "If a company can only survive by skimping on electricity, it's already done for," and "If the CEO turns off the AC in his own office too, then fair enough." Another added, "There's no reason to stay at a company that won't even cover the basics."


choigo@heraldcorp.com