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?

A brief commute to work? An hour or 90 minutes each way in very hot conditions?

I’m in the west mids. I can’t cancel as I work for myself and I am visiting someone who always has the fire on. I expect he will still have the fire on when I see him on Wednesday.
nothing I can do but drink plenty of water and take a rest when I get home.

Nobody 'enjoys' it ffs. Most builders are self employed so they have to decide whether it's worth £250 a day to stay at home.

Frankly, it seems fairly sensible to suggest to employees that they try and work from home if it's applicable. There WILL be excess deaths and serious medical crises because of this exceptional heat. Why not try and reduce the amount of work the hard-pressed emergency services have to do (and they can't work from home) by staying put if possible?

I'm glad to see that local schools are going to be mornings-only from tomorrow, though I know that it'll be a problem for parents who can't work at home. It's only until the end of the week. These are really exceptional circumstances - it's not (yet) normal for the UK and we're not used it it and our infrastructure really isn't up to it. So, pointless to constantly harp on about 'people in hotter countries'.

It doesn't matter if the employer provides an air-conditioned office if people's journey to work is going to be very hot - and potentially dangerous for some staff. The employer would still have a duty of care towards its staff and not insist they come into the office if their work could be done at home.

Not everyone has an air-conditioned car. Not everyone can travel very early if they have children that need to be taken to school.

Is this nationally schools?

London transport is truly unpleasant in extreme heat especially with humidity as well. I would be wanting to work from home or leave, trouble is if you are a Mum its likely leave all used up on childcare. I would say dress appropriately travel early and or late if you can, carry water and a damp face cloth for refreshing yourself. Other than that its grin and bear it

"all these office workers" aren't worried about the heat in their air-conditioned office. It's about the journey to work - as the OP mentioned, people travelling into central London on public transport.

no, because temperatures are going to vary across the UK! Where I am, some schools have said they'll close at lunch break.

oh ignore that one! I don't think I've ever seen that poster NOT try to be edgy, but fails massively.

London is going to be 22C at 8am tomorrow. That's not exactly death valley.

God, the amount of people chomping at the bit on this thread to assert how resilient they are and how you should be dragging yourself in is embarrassing 🥴🥴.

I've lived abroad in higher temps and it is very different to the UK. As others have said, infrastructure/way of life is much more adapted.

Honestly, the people who comment are the types whose eyes light up when they see a chance to call somebody out for being "less tough" that them. They are definitely the types who come into work sick and snivelling acting like a martyr then spread it round the whole office.

Like your company doesn't give a shit about you and you're not superior because you like to self-flagellate and shout it from the roof tops. Always look after your health without obviously taking the piss. It's valid not to go into the office on 40 degree heat with a long commute.

Most people will be absolutely fine if they stay hydrated, dress in light clothes, and carry some water. It's not like they're running a marathon.

Yes, I referenced that in my earlier post. (It's particularly bad in places like Delhi where you have desperately poor manual labourers having to choose between eating and risking their lives in extreme heat). But it's also a problem for self employed workers. But:

1. They are still encouraged to take steps like not working in the middle of the day. This is the norm for places which have extreme heat. While in the UK this isn't always needed self employed workers should have a plan for this. Employers/companies should too.

1. Self employed workers also have to choose between health and safety equipment and taking home more pay. Etc etc. That doesn't make health and safety "bad" or "a luxury".

1. Some people definitely were inferring that they actually enjoyed working in the heat or the (completely real) people they know do. There is a trend to downplay real health and safety concerns with an idealised version of the non-complaining "real" blue collar worker to be contrasted against everyone else. A trend mostly spread by American YouTubers/political figures who aren't manual workers themselves. It's an odd fetisishation of manual work. While some people do have to work in the heat (tho even there measures should be taken), it doesn't mean everyone should in solidarity

1. Maybe men complain less about these things. They also die sooner so...

Tell me you don’t understand the underground without telling me.

Well, I work in construction and it was business as usual today. Same when it was 32C in May. I suspect it might wind down a bit when it hits 36C but many people will still be working.

You have air con 🤣 try working in a factory with no windows and no air con

Someone has never had the privilege of fainting on the central line 🤣

Your original post specifically mentioned your office has AC, so it sounds pretty well equipped for the heat.

London temps at 8am and 6pm (i.e. at rush hour):
Tues: 22 and 34 degrees
Wed: 27 and 36 degrees
Thurs: 25 and 33 degrees

I'd say that's going to make for some pretty hot journeys to and from work in the next few days.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen. You are fine to work in the middle of the day in extreme heat if you want. I just don't think it's a flex.

And those of us who won't be OK?

“As well as very high daytime temperatures, there will be consecutive nights where temperatures do not drop below 20°C, which is called a Tropical Night. This will make it very hard for people to recover from the daytime heat, exacerbating the heat stress impacts.”

www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2026/red-extreme-heat-warning-issued-with-june-temperature-records-forecast-to-break

Yeah but a lot won’t be so it would make sense to wfh I’d possible

That's actually scientifically incorrect and women are more likely to get hotter and feel hotter than men. Check out Dr Amir Khans latest Instagram video on this for the details.