Weather can have a significant impact on our daily experiences. It can influence how eager we are to engage in outdoor activities or how pleasant we feel during our commute. While previous studies have explored how weather affects overall mood and energy levels, its impact on workplace experiences has been less understood.
With this in mind, researchers from the University of Lüneburg in Germany conducted a study to explore how morning weather affects people's feelings and well-being at work. The findings were recently published in Applied Psychology, a journal of the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), in a paper titled "Rain, Rain Go Away! A Diary Study on Morning Weather and Affective Well‐Being at Work." The study focused on how weather influences energy levels, job satisfaction, burnout, and stress during the workday.
The idea for the study came spontaneously during a team meeting on a particularly dreary day. Laura Venz, the lead author of the paper, recalled, "In a gloomy team meeting, everyone was talking lethargically about the weather. We typically study how work-related factors, such as conflicts, workload, or support, affect employees' feelings. That day, we had a crazy thought: Could seemingly unrelated factors, like the weather, actually play a role in how employees feel at work?"
Venz, along with her colleague Alexander Pundt, set out to test the hypothesis that the weather in the morning could influence employees' emotions and well-being throughout the workday. They hoped their research would inspire further studies on the impact of environmental factors on workplace behavior.
To test their hypothesis, Venz and Pundt conducted a "diary study," asking employees to fill out two surveys on each workday: one before they started work in the morning and one after finishing their workday. They also created a "pictorial scale," a visual chart that uses weather-related symbols (such as the sun, partly cloudy, or rainy) to represent different weather conditions.
Venz explained, "Participants simply selected the icon that represented the current weather. At the end of the day, they answered questions about their well-being, such as job satisfaction, energy levels, burnout, and negative emotions. This allowed us to link the morning weather to their well-being at the end of the day."
The study took place in April 2020, a month known for its unpredictable weather in Germany. A total of 115 employees participated, completing 457 surveys across several workdays.
The results were intriguing. The researchers found that the morning weather was only linked to positive well-being indicators, not negative ones. In other words, the better the weather in the morning, the more energized and satisfied employees felt with their work. Conversely, bad weather in the morning was associated with higher feelings of fatigue and lower job satisfaction. However, negative well-being indicators, such as burnout and stress, did not seem to be influenced by the weather.
Venz said, "We were surprised by the results because we had expected the weather to have a stronger link to negative well-being states. We acknowledge that weather is beyond the control of workplace management. Nonetheless, we believe it’s important to recognize that factors outside of work design can impact employee well-being."
The findings provide valuable insights into how environmental factors, especially weather, influence energy levels, job satisfaction, and overall happiness at work. These insights could inspire measures to improve employee well-being, such as encouraging employees to bike or walk to work on sunny days or organizing motivational activities on bad weather days.
Venz added, "In future research, we plan to explore the mechanisms behind the weather-well-being link. For example, it’s possible that on nice weather days, employees behave differently—perhaps by offering more support to colleagues—which in turn boosts their own satisfaction and energy."
In summary, this study highlights the surprising role that weather can play in influencing how employees feel at work. While the weather is clearly beyond an employer’s control, it is an important environmental factor that can impact employee morale and productivity. Recognizing this connection could lead to strategies that enhance overall workplace happiness and well-being.
