Nearly 300 employees of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture were sent home early yesterday due to "unbearable working conditions", officials said.
The early dismissal was due to a malfunctioning air conditioning system, which has been out of order for nearly one week.
About 100 disgruntled employees staged a sit-out outside the Thompson Boulevard office.
Those who were not outside gathered in the building's lobby.
Officials brought in large fans, however, employees said it was still difficult to concentrate on work.
Only a handful of employees remained at their desks yesterday.
Education Director Lionel Sands admitted that the conditions were "unbearable" because of the "oppressive heat" and lack of ventilation. He sent Ministry of Education staff home at 10 a.m.
However, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson said his staff would work until midday.
Wendell Demeritte, who works at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, said employees are fed up with the working conditions.
"For the past three days we had no AC," he said as he stood outside the building.
"It's extremely hot and unbearable.
"There is no ventilation. There are no windows, and there is also a funny scent with the mold. Some people are getting frustrated and agitated, so we decided to sit out. It's just unbearable."
Sands said technicians were working on the problem.
"The AC system has been down since last Thursday," he said. "...The air quality has been unbearable for the staff since Monday.
"We've sent staff home at 10 a.m. and we are seeking to do the same today (Tuesday) because it's unbearable to work in a building where there are no windows and the air conditioning isn't working properly.
"So we are waiting on the technicians to have the problem resolved and that is what we are doing at this moment."
Sands said he hopes that operations can continue as normal today. However, he said if the technicians are unable to address the problem, he would likely dismiss staff again.
"It's not a good situation to work in. You can feel the oppressive heat," he added.
Johnson said operations at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture were minimally impacted by the malfunctioning air conditioning system.
He said some executives were working from home.
"All of the computer lines are up. All of the phone lines are functional," he said. "All of our core teams are at work."
Johnson said some of his ministry's work requires employees to leave the office.
"This is a good opportunity for us to get on the road and get our work done," he added.

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