Work not taking red alert seriously

[Founderflower]

Why are some people not taking the red weather warning seriously? Where I am it’s 39 degrees on Wed/ Thur but ‘feels like’ 42 according to BBC.

At work they’re expecting everyone in - the office is air conditioned, so fine, but we’re central London so everyone needs to schlep in on public transport.

Red means a danger to life and not just for vulnerable people. Some people who are healthy will die because of the weather. There’s warnings of power outages and transport failures. So what happens if we get stuck on a broken down underground train?

I KNOW other countries see these temps regularly. But they are prepared for dealing with it. England is not and it fucks up. I don’t want a heart attack from sitting in 48 degree heat on a train. I’m really stressed out!

If it were a red warning around severe wind or rain or flooding they wouldn’t be telling everyone to come in! So why is heat seen differently?

I am dreading Wednesday. I am work from home mostly but I have a meeting in the diary on Wednesday. Hoping they move it to Teams!!

Feel bad for my kids in school and their teachers. Those classrooms are hot and they don’t have option to move it to Teams.

It’s a 2 hour walk. With lots of hills. In a red extreme heat wave?

This is what I’m talking about, stupid ‘deal with it’ way of thinking.

I hear you OP. I’ve actually been stuck on a broken-down Northern Line tube in a heatwave and it was terrifying. All the lights went out too. When we finally got out the staff had brought down industrial fans and were handing out water. DH has to go to London this week for work and I’m worried. It’s going to be bad enough here (West Midlands).

Last heat wave, my dc had the best time at school. They had a giant water fight with the teachers and got them all ice lollies.

Why so much drama over a bit of warm weather?

I’ll help you if needed there - they have systems set up for hot weather. Like aircon. It’s not hard!

But why should we? There’s a literal risk to our lives. It’s an official warning. Why should I risk my life to sit in an office when I can work from home? It’s insanity

So don't go in then if you're so scared.

OP I agree. If there is a weather warning we should follow it if we can. The only exceptions in these scenarios should be people like emergency workers/care staff etc. There is absolutely no need to make people catch a train and come and sit in an office when there is a red weather warning. People will pass out and become ill. All that happens is it overwhelms emergency services.

I'll be surprised if it actually hits 40 anywhere in the UK, it's like when they predict we'll have a massive blizzard and we get a light flurry. It's air conditioned when you get there. My team have no choice but to work, heatwave, snowstorm, Pandemic and as we're public sector there is no air con either! Rather than panic why not wait and see what actually happens and respond accordingly

You’re being ridiculous, many other hot countries do not have air con on public transport or in schools and people manage fine. No wonder productivity is in the gutter in this country when perfectly healthy people don’t want to turn up to work in an air conditioned office when it’s a bit hot (or a bit wet or a bit snowy…any excuse). As others said, take annual leave if you’re that anxious about it.

In the 70s, we just got on with it. Maybe we loosened our ties a bit, bought a Tip-Top to cool us down. Our parents had lived through the war, and were never slow in reminding us of what they had to endure.

All the ‘walk’ comments are either disingenuous or incredibly stupid. Do people have any idea the distances the tube covers?

OP I have no idea how flexible your job is but do you have a reasonable manager you can explain the situation too? From the tone of your post it sounds like you can wfh and I would hope if you lay out the logistics they might have a common sense lightbulb moment.

Failing that can you amend your commute at all? Buses can be better and the Lizzies line has aircon.

It really is shit. I know there are always people who have to go in for whatever reason but I really think workplaces where wfh is available should be allowing people to in extreme weather of all kinds including heat.

Air-conditioning, cooler buildings (more stone/tile, no carpets, external shutters), things being shut in the middle of the day.... Many more adaptations than we have.

Tbf the “risk to life” warning isn’t really aimed at the averagely fit adult. It is meant for the elderly and vulnerable. But I do agree that if there is a work from home option, it seems a bit ridiculous to expect folk to travel. No one is really going to be in the right frame of mind to work when they have just endured being cooked on the way in and are looking forward to more of the same on the way home

Ah the good old days squad have arrived

https://theconversation.com/the-dangers-of-romanticising-britains-1976-heatwave-260046

‘During the peak of the heatwave, deaths increased by 28% in the southeast England and 33% in Greater London.’

But sure.

London isn't great - the concrete makes it much hotter.

And people in hot countries don't survive - a lot of them die.

I am with the OP - red warning means stay at home unless it's crucial you are working, like being a nurse.

This level of anxiety over the weather is not normal or healthy.

You have aircon at work? Jealous!

What you did in the 70s and how your parents coped in the war is irrelevant. It’s not a competition or a race to the bottom.
Our summers are getting more extreme, temperatures are rising. That objectively puts more people at risk of ill health directly due to extreme heat. Shall we ignore it because our grandparents had to live off rations?

I’m dreading it, We have no air conditioning, on my feet for 12 hours and have to wear thick PPE. I’m expecting it to reach 65°c if not higher at work this week.

'Logically' this is only true if you don't understand how the underground's ventilation system works.

Hint: they don't pipe the fresh air in from somewhere nice and chilly.

You are absolutely right that there should be more top-down guidance. France has ordered several hundred schools to stay closed, for instance.

Have you contacted your managers to say there’s now a red alert ‘danger to life’ warning? Point it out and see what the response is.

What I wouldn't give to see my grandad again in a deckchair with a knotted hanky on his head.