Happy first day of fall! Summer’s over!  Now in most people’s view, this may not be a reason to rejoice, but it does hold promise if you’re looking for your employees’ productivity to improve. It’s not rocket science to assume that on all those beautiful days we had this summer, workers were distracted by thoughts of what they could be doing outdoors rather than working on those spreadsheets or putting the final touches on that proposal. But some recent research on workplace productivity by Forbes, found that not only was there was a 20% drop in productivity during the summer months, but attendance rates fell by 19% and workers who did come to the office were 45% more distracted by sluggishness in warm offices.

But not to worry – now that fall has arrived, you can look forward to better times. The New York Times reports a joint study conducted by Harvard and the University of North Carolina and found that just the opposite may be true in winter.

Winter Blues? Maybe Not.

While blizzards and storms are associated with lower economic output, the researchers’ findings suggested that fierce conditions outside the window can boost the productivity of workers comfy and dry within. And, productivity can be tied to happiness – so when it’s cold outside, the chances are your employees are happy and getting more work done inside!

Let it rain! The researchers followed 111 mid-level workers at a bank in Tokyo over a two-year period as they performed a variety of data entry tasks. Matching the time it took to complete a job with the concurrent weather conditions, they observed that on rainy days, employees worked faster and that each inch of precipitation correlated with a 1.3% increase in productivity.

Even though there isn’t much snow in Tokyo, the study concluded that the productivity pattern holds true for snow as well. While 1.3% may not seem like a lot, consider the cumulative effect it has on your workers year after year, inch by inch.

An Office for All Seasons.

We can’t regulate the temperatures outside, but Forbes suggests that keeping the thermostat set between 65 to 70 degrees can keep moods up and give energy levels a boost. And that holds true for any time of year, so go check that thermostat and look forward to the next rain storm! Happy fall!