Opening of windows when it's warm at the office

right, so today is one of the nicest and warmest days yet of the year. Fresh air. Sunshine. Birds chirping.

But, today is also a day when my german co-workers complain about opening the windows.

This seems odd, since they were more than happy to fling the windows wide open for hours on end just a few months ago when the temps were hovering around 0, and it was snowing, and it was sleeting, and the wind was howling.

And how is it that the current temps of 16 or so are "ziemlich kalt", as described by a co-worker just now? But yesterday when the temps were nearer to 12, the germans agreed that it was "echt warm".

Can anyone explain this?

I think you will find that the problem is that they are all totally paranoid about draughts and getting a sore neck, never been able to fathom how a nation that strips naked in The English Garden and goes marching around mountains worries so much about a window being slightly open

yep your the ausländer and your forcing something on them...

na seriously germans whinge all the time about the weather. brits talk about it - germans whinge. too hot, too cold, headache because of föhn, too much snow too little snow. you'll probably find your colleagues were dressed in warmer clothes yesterday and now are more in summer clothing. me im in a short sleeved shirt with the window wide open...

Well i would like my window open right now but I cannot.

Not because of ze Germans, but ze bugs. They are swarming at my window right now and I dont want them to come in.

No-one in my office has a problem with it being open though. Its usally wide open.

Well, my German colleagues have the window open.

I always had the same problem in the office where I used to work.

Everyone was paranoid not about sore necks, but I always heard "Don't open the window because I don't want to get a cold!"

No, there is no logic that I can see in this paranoia.
WH

Related TT topic: Air drafts make you ill - so think the Germans

ah, i have the windows flung wide open at home and am enjoying what i'd call a nice breeze occasionally. it's a mental(ly deficient) step from a breeze to a draught.

Well I am next to the window and I opened them WIDE!!!

The gemans next to me says nothing...for the fear of PSIONI!!!
They better not close it when I am back from lunch...or I'll open it WIDER!!!

ha ha...

hmm..my neck feels a bit funny now...

More likely that they are simply living in the silent hope that you may jump out of the aforementioned window.

Odd... my German workmates always open the window (it is right now) and the manager insists on playing techo/house music while we work.

It just goes to proove that not all Germans are the same, some actually like to have fun at work as well

Only problem is.. now I'm cold. Should have worn a jumper I guess O.o;

Nor can I. Not because of ze bugs but because of ze Kinder screaming in the playground across the road. The loud little bastards.

It's a very fine line between opening the windows to "lüften" and overdoing it. You'll know the second you've left the window open too long/too far/etc when Germans start running around yelling "Es zieht!!!" and throwing scarves around their necks.

hmm...some german from the other department...( I guess he feels the breeze..) seems to be walking around near MY window...hmmm...

*SOB* *SOB*

ooooh.. kannst Du bitte das Fenster zumachen? Es zieht!!

Waaaaaaaa!

Hate that as well. Last summer I had to have a fan all to myself because it was so hot in my office and there was absolutely no draft.

I must be getting German - techno music and an open window doesn't sound like top quality fun to me

actually we're pretty much the opposite here - the two Germans in my room are constantly whipping the window open whilst I glare at them (actually I only glare when they whip the window open in mid winter and then clear off and leave the room for a couple of hours)

Oh don't worry Psioni. God or Jebus will catch you if you jump. Blind faith an all that eh?

Jump, before he can save you.

*BOOOOWAAAHHHHH*

*walks away to close window*

My colleagues insist on flinging the windows open every morning "um zu lüften" regardless of the weather and temperature.

There are only 6 people on my floor, how much lüften do we need?

oh no. now the one who made the "ziemlich kalt" comment is complaining that she might have a cold - because she sneezed. but she sneezes several times nearly every day!

My German colleague has just opened the window and left! I've heard about these German-only diseases, but my colleague and I share similar war/cold sensations. We generally agree when the window should be opened or closed!

Just wait till the hay fever season starts!

I think it's a German passtime to be ill or complain about getting ill. A non German work colleague had his tonsils removed and was told by the doctor not to go back to work for 6 weeks. What the fuck is that about? In England you get a few days off but 6 weeks!!! He was bored after a couple of weeks and said to the doctor that he was fine and wanted to go back to work but the doctor said he would have to sign a waiver form before he was allowed to go back to work which he obviously wasn't going to do.

And as for people taking a week off with a cold, don't even get me started on the number of times I have been dumped in the shit by a colleague being off work because they sneezed.

My window is tipped open all year round but not in the summer when we have Central Air. If a patient complains, I do offer a blanket, they take it or not!
I argue with my collegues all the time about viruses and drafts- seems alot of them still think that an open window in winter will give us all the flu, and in summer- we will get drafts an all kind of sore muscle problems.
My arguement is then all the Scandanavians and Canadians should all be crippled when they die of pnuemononia!

Oh, how I love those people that always whinge about how warm/cold/whatver it is in the office, but then tend to open all windows and leave the damn office for lunch and don't care if whoever is left in the room is freezing to death... (rant)

This seems to be a common trait amongst Germans, they keep the windows closed in summer ("es zieht sonnst"), but insist on having the windows open in winter to get fresh air!

yea, in winter the big line was "oh, the air is so dry in here. open the window to let some (supposedly humid?) air in." Of course, this thinking is completely wrong and actually results in drier air in the office (and hence the windows being opened more frequently - enter downward spiral). but sadly my german language skills are not up to the task of explaining Thermodynamics.

Its a true fact that the Germans are health freaks, they pratically talk about nothing else except whcih food to eat, not to eat, they take evening courses on these subjects and I totally agree with those who claim that they are sensitive to breeze, they are really afraid about this.

Why do you think the German health system is so expensive, well its cause they go to doctors like crazy and over treat and analise any posible health problem.

Imagine telling your boss in the UK that you're going away for some weeks on a 'kur' as you have some allergie or stress.

Here nearly every fourth person has been for a coupke of weeks on a health cure (fully paid by the health insurance) at one timeor other.

You can do that in the UK too, if you're condition is serious enough, i.e. severely impairing your health.

And you won't always get it fully paid in Germany. This also depends on the severity on the condition, e.g. if you just had a hip replacement, you will get a few weeks of residential physio/rehab.

Oh I am sure that you can do this in the UK too, but I can't imagine that it would be possible for the reasons one does it in Germany, freinds of mine have been on a 'kur' for minor allergies, family stress (nothing to write home about) and so on.

What I was trying to stress is that people in Germany tend to over react to any health problems and to be honest the system supports this and this is why its so expensive to keep up the system finacially.

Probably a nation of hypochondriacs...
*Hachoo*

This topic is so great.It really made me laugh my head off because it is so true!
Maybe it has something to do with the way people are raised? I could never understand the "es sieht" part. Has anyone ever looked into this in a medical view? Also the scarf wearing thing is overdone here to the max. I wonder when it is 35C does anyone go outside on a windy day and say "es sieht" and put a scarf around their neck? Different strokes for (very) different folks

Just fart loudly in the office, then you have to open the window

Or just eat really smelly food.
But then I worked with older birds who were giving people evils, if their food smelt stronger than let's say boiled rice...

somewhat an exaggeration but sure they do seem to take health issues quite seriously - strange then that so many of them smoke

Well apparently the Germans aren't the worst for worrying about draughts, it's the Italians

or at least one of them

Two of us used to share an office in a bank in Frankfurt with a bunch of Germans (we were all external) and at around 9:00 they all used to go to breakfast but before doing so, used to open all the windows and then bugger off. It didn't matter what time of year, but they would never give a consideration for us. In the end we used to just get up and shut them until one day my collegue pointed out to them what they were doing and they then used to ask. During the summer the place used to be stinking hot but no A/C although they provided their staff with fans, we never got one! I then got (kind of) my own office which was in their new building, also no A/C, but did get a fan!

Same thing happens in my office. I have no problem with airing the office and like a good girl as I am usually the first to come in I 'lüften' just like any Fritz.

In the winter we had to have the windows open winds blowing and all but now summer is here it is absurd to have the windows open all day. The thing is everything blows onto my desk

So to answer the question I cannot explain it either it baffles me just as much as you maybe the answer is just blowing in the wind

Just had a visitor to my office from a guy from another company for a meeting and contract signing.

So, i invite him into my office and ask him to sit and relax whilst we waited for someone else to join us. He fidgets around the office looking at my aquarium and picking up brochures etc to scan and put back and then announces he will wait in the corridor rather than sitting at the meeting table.

Why? He then says that because i have 2 windows in my office tilted open that it is too draughty for him to be there and proclaims that "you English people are hardier than us Germans "

Wtf?

It's a beautiful day and not cold or windy whatsoever

I got an earful for opening the windows today too but that was for letting all the pollen in and attacking all the Germans in the room. We're in the second floor and the trees are well away from the windows. And the windows were tilted open not wide open so unless pollen is quite clever these days

at least you have the possibility of opening windows! i just want the stupid blinds open so light comes in! the windows right near me people want them shut, but once just the row of cubes down they're fine and open- grr i wonder if i could transfer to the Web Offerings workgroup and pretend I know how to do their stuff so I can be by an open window.

The good weather is back, and since my office desk is in a corner with windows on both perpendicular sides, there's plenty of sunlight: good thing. But it's also VERY HOT. It's like the greenhouse effect, the heat gets trapped in.

And so, with no Klimaanlage, it's a bit difficult to sit here all day. So I open the windows to let it cool down a bit, and then when it has done that, I open the windows the other way, leaving just a slit. Enough air for ventilation and it cools down the office a bit. But Big Bavarian colleague sitting nearby has a problem with that -- moving air gives you a cold, he says. So the windows must stay shut.

Drawing the blinds to cool down the air is not an option because he doesn't want to "sit in the darkness" (even if there are electric desk lights). So okay, I have one of those USB-powered small fans, but that's still too hot. I've to go for a walk outside every hour or so to cool down, or go wash my face in the WC...

Question: I always thought good ventilation, some fresh air makes it not so stuffy and leaves us feeling more fresh -- but is there truth in the moving air causing cold thing? I can understand that it cools down our body fast, as moving air transports heat away, but if the rate of air movement is not that great (as in a small open window slit) is that still true, or is my colleague just being phobic?

Tips needed: what do you guys do to cool down??

Cheers...
Topics merged by admin

Oh, that must be terrible. How about compromising and closing the blinds on the sunnier side, and opening the window on the other? That way, there can hardly be a draught (which I really don't think would cause a cold). I'd also suggest getting a big fan (one with several settings that rotates) and putting it under your desk beside your feet. It works for me. I know colleagues who get a basin of water and sit at their desks with their feet in it, but I wouldn't be too keen on that idea, what with electrical cables and whatnot!

Good idea - re the fan.

But it's a big open office concept. So he thinks that if someone somewhere on the other side of the building on the same floor has a window open, there'd be a draft.

But the question is whether it's a urban legend that the krauts believe in or does it really cause a cold?
What's the scientific/logic behind it causing a cold?

There was a thread about the link between Germans and Colds the other day.

Apparantly the rest of the world gets colds from infections but Germans get them when they inhale slighly cooler air , particularly if it is moving or they go from a warmer area to a cooler one. This curious effect is strangely not seen when they go Skiing or after they have been to a Sauna or Freibad.

I have heard that it's an old wives' tale and that colds are caused by viruses.

Had a quick look online, and found this:
http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=lw399

But also found this German sickness insurance site stating the exact opposite:
http://www.kvb.de/servlet/PB/menu/1006528/index.html

Maybe attitudes to disease differens in different cultures. I've never understood the all-pervasive "Kreislaufbeschwerden" in Germany. What does it mean? If an English speaker says they have circulation problems, you tend to assume that they have varicose veins or problems with circulation to their legs/feet/hands. But the German term seems to be used to imply that the person is light-headed/faint... that is, if I've understood it correctly...?

"Kreislaufbeschwerden" is a general term for negative side-effects of both high and low blood pressure ...

Funniest thing this week is that Big Bavarian colleague didn't have the guts to tell me himself, so he told our Team Leader to tell me. WTF???

And here I was being told over and over again in the past to be more direct.
I just go and stand at the window, open it for a few minutes to get some air, maybe he'll tell the Team Leader next that i'm blocking the light...

I'm seriously thinking about buying a fan, will take make them run around and go "Es zieht" too???
I'm gonna ask some doctors about this -- somebody better get to the (scientific) bottom of this, and settle it once and for all... this is getting really stupid...