I work in an office on the tenth floor of an office building. The windows of our office suite run from the floor to the ceiling, and my private office faces the south side of the building. As much as I enjoy the view, the heat that is emitted from the south-facing windows is intense. The manager turned down my request to have blinds or curtains installed, claiming that it would ruin the decor. The problem is that the building air conditioning system is old and often malfunctions. Once it gets to be the middle of the summer, I bring in a fan and dress in the coolest outfit that I can get away with. Some days, the manager sets the thermostat too cold and other days he sets it way too hot. We have a suggestion box located on the wall in the reception area, and several of my co-workers and I have put suggestions in the box pertaining to the unpleasant temperature during the summer months. I read somewhere that employee comfort is directly related to employee productiveness. I mentioned the study in my written suggestion. The outdated air conditioning system has been repaired more than once by a team of heating and cooling technicians. But the effects of their repair never last long, and we start the cycle all over again. The more the malfunction of the a/c, the more I am leaning towards getting my own portable air conditioner. I’ve been told that they are a bit noisy, but at this point it doesn’t matter. The hot sunshine streaming into the windows plus the on-and-off functioning of the air conditioner have caused great discomfort and stress. I’m tempted to take a few personal days to escape the situation, but I really don’t want to waste them.