What would you say is a reasonable amount of clothing to be expected to wear to work? - heating wars

[Springersrock]

I am completely fed up with freezing my arse off all day.

I work in accounts so most of my day is sat at a desk. The building is one of those tin shed type industrial units with crap insulation.

We have proper central heating in the offices which is really good when it is on, but as soon as it goes off, the temperature drops really quickly.

My boss will only put the heating on for an hour first thing when we come in, an hour at lunchtime and sometimes an hour about 4ish - his argument is that we should wear more layers/put another jumper on.

This week it’s been between -1 and 1 degree here.

Today I’m wearing a vest top, a thermal base layer, a thinnish cashmere jumper, a big chunky jumper, a body warmer, thermal base layer leggings, jeans, 2 pairs of thermal socks, a big scarf, fingerless gloves, my coat and Ugg’s.

It’s uncomfortable and IMO, a bloody ridiculous amount of clothing to have to wear to work every bloody day.

I do have a small fan heater under my desk but he constantly complains that I’ve got it on and it barely makes a difference anyway.

So, I’ve threatened to go on strike. He either puts the heating on properly - set it to a reasonable temperature and stays on instead of this stupid 1 hour here and there, or I go home.

I think 18C and as pointed out the law says 16C. The law comes as I understand it from the early 60s when women generally did not return to work after having children, i.e. from a different age.

Why someone in an accounts role is not given the means to wfh most of the time (or is being pressured into being in an office) is not good in my opinion.

Get a thermometer so you know where you are with arguing your case. If it's below 16 start saying that it's affecting your health and say you will contact the HSE.

You need something like this, then you can be warm and your boss can be cold if he wants to be. It takes 100W so costs about 12p/hour.

ThatLibraryMiss I looked on that site, and I think this would be even better!

Change your processes to be paperless!

I've worked in a building like that, and they do get extremely cold. My solid brick terraced house is dropping to below 16c within an hour of the heating going off. So your workplace will probably not be far off the outside temp, hopefully without the wind chill factor.
Your employer really needs to do something about this.
How is wearing extra clothing attention seeking? Ridiculous comment!

Women feel the cold more than men because we have a higher % body fat, while men have more muscle. There have been multiple studies showing that office temperatures were set in the times when most workers were men, so didn't require as much heat. There was a political debate about sexist office temperatures in the USA

Your boss needs to provide you with a safe working environment. What you have currently is positively Dickensian.

Could you use a hot water bottle and / or a heated throw? Or just work from home until he sees sense?

Currently our home office is 16c. DH just muttered about the chill and I checked. Just turned heating up. He's pretty tough, but sitting down in and office is so different to being outside. I've been on the move all morning which is why I hadn't noticed.

Not sure if already suggested but get a plug in electric blanket and also a hot water bottle. Ridiculous to need to at work but being that cold is awful. I actually suffer pain for days in legs and hips if I get that chilled at work .

Have you got thick soled shoes, and a mat/cushion under your feet? I find it makes a huge difference. I second regular walks to keep your circulation going, wheat bags/hot water bottles on your lap.

Thanks all!

I’ve just ordered a thermometer and a plug in radiator so we’ll see if it helps

The office is carpeted so it’s not a cold concrete floor.

On a good note, the heating is on and I’ve taken my coat and scarf off for the first time today. On a bad note, it goes off in 7 minutes.

Boss spends quite a lot of time down in our workshop which is also bloody cold, but the workshop floor all move around doing a fairly physical job. I’m sat at my desk all day.

Even on carpet, cold strikes up through. A foam square/ chunk of yoga mat would help a lot. I wear slippers, but have a cushion under my feet because we have tile floors. On a good day, the dog shares the cushion, so it's a double win!