It's predicted that there will be a heat wave this summer in the UK, for offices all around the country, after a cold and slushy winter, this is exciting and a really welcome change. Thinking barbecue weekends, floaty summer dresses, leg revealing shorts and golden tans, but it is not good news for employees cooped up inside the office suffering the heat and humidity. Keeping employees cool this summer might be a challenge, but very much worth splashing out a little bit of the office budget.

Many offices and companies provide electric fans for their employees but there are still some small businesses that prefer to open windows and doors to let air in to cool boiling employees, thinking that it is not necessary considering the number or hot days in the UK.

A shame really as in most cases this can be fairly explosive where motivation and a good office environment is concerned. If there is no breeze during the summer months, glass windows can act like a conservatory, heating the room full of bodies and making the room even more unbearable.

Keeping employees cool in the office environment is hugely important to productiveness. If the temperature in the office is too warm it makes atmosphere not conducive for working and will greatly affect the productivity of the employees. The heat can make employees lethargic and slow their thinking process and some studies show that heat stress in the office can reduce performance by up to 50% as well as causing illness and down time through loss of man hours, being much more expensive than just buying a few electric fans for the office.

There are different styles of electric fans available on the market, from simple desk fans industrial fans for bigger more open plan offices in need of good circulation of air. Desk fans are usually a cheap option though can be noisy and only usually very weak, working on battery power which can drain office funds. Also looking messy and bulky they do not provide much cool air for more than a couple of office employees.

Larger standing fans are a great option as they are much more powerful and cool a bigger room. Standing fans may keep an office much cooler though they do take up much more room so perhaps preferred in larger offices with a good amount of space.

For small offices where space is limited, stylish oscillating tower fans are popular options. It is not a powerful as a stand fan but though they look pleasant and can be deemed as part of the room décor. Electric fans can keep employees cool this summer, but its worth thinking briefly about the environment, amount of people and whether your environment is open plan, separated offices or glass walled before considering cooling equipment that just doesn't cut it.