Solutions for cold hands in the office?

[DearlyDiego]

The time of year is upon me when I am freezing in the office. I have a little desk-top heater and when the cold really ramps up, I'll bring out the hot water bottle.

In a corporate environment, that's about as far as I'm comfortable pushing the envelope, short of wearing my coat inside. However: those two measures do nothing to solve my freezing cold hands. I end up rubbing my hands in front of my heater like a homeless person in a movie standing around a trash can fire.

I have considered fingerless gloves but again, worry it's pushing the boundaries in a corporate environment. Has anyone got any solutions that won't make me look like the Pigeon Lady from Home Alone 2?

I have turtle doves but they only helped a little. My boss bought us both heated desk mats last year & it’s great.

Another recommendation for these. I have Reynauds and wear them inside and out as it gets colder

Why is it so cold where you work? Have you raised it with management? Trade Union? Health and safety?

It sounds fairly extreme. I was wondering if the OP has some health problem and if so whether she has tried to treat that?

underactive thyroid?
connective tissue disorder?
low iron ?
low B12?
diabetes?

Turtle does wrist warmers as per pp. I have a few that sort of match my long sleeved tops,

Nope, no health issues.

I have a lovely spot in the office; next to a big window, with a lovely view. No-one in front of, or behind me. The downside is that, with the window, it's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I endure it because it's otherwise a good spot.

We are having ongoing issues with the air conditioning that seems to have a mind of it's own - which management is aware of and trying to resolve. But like many large, shared office buildings, it's very slow to get facilities to resolve anything at all.

Add in that I simply tend to run cold. I'm the same at home. At least there I can put on an ugly big jumper and a blanket.

I have severe reynauds and use this…

https://amzn.eu/d/09jiubT4

When I'm sitting down at a desk I need it to be about 22-23C for my hands to be warm.

If your employers or the majority of the workforce are men they may not realise this, and want to heat to 18-20C or something which feels freezing to me when I'm sat still. It's perfectly comfortable when moving around but it's too cold for sitting.

I use cashmere 'wrist warmers'. There's a few companies online that recycle old jumpers into wrist warmers. Keeping wrists warm helps to keep hands and fingers warm too. They have really made a difference to me - I crochet and always get cold hands in the winter, these have been a game changer. Because they don't have fingers in them, they're easy to tuck into your jumper/blouse sleeves too :)

You need a heated mouse! They’re about £15 on Amazon and I would recommend one to anyone.

Mine has 3 heat settings, and 3 timer modes and honestly I’d be lost without it.

Heated desk mats make so much difference, they’ll keep your hands and arms warm, even your legs as they heat through the desk eventually. They are lovely.

Agree with this ^

It's not extreme to raise these points at all.

The temperature in all indoor workplaces must be reasonable and needing to wrap up to that extent suggests the temperature is far from reasonable. The employer needs to resolve the issues with the dodgy air con.

Workplace temperatures - GOV.UK

There is no maximum temperature in offices, but there definitely is a regulation minimum. Buy a cheap room thermometer and put it on your desk. The minimum is 16C.

I used to sit in a particularly draughty office and I blocked off the gaps between the sides & back of my desk and the floor by using strategically-placed bits of cardboard and gaffer tape. It worked remarkably well and almost completely stopped draughts.

I was gonna say: they just need to turn the heating up and the blokes can just remove their suit jackets.

The OP says the aircon isn't working so it could be one of those stupid heater/aircon combo unit things that's supposed to automatically adjust itself to blow either hot or cold depending on the season and the set temperature <hollow laugh>. My last office had one of those and it was always utterly crap.

Oops.. I must not have read the OP properly 😆

I’m another fan of the turtle doves wrist warmers. They’re very discreet and could be mistaken for longer sleeves if colours are well matched / blended. Cosy warm! My feet get very cold under my desk so when it’s really cold I use the heated insoles in my boots (can get from Amazon) they heat when in contact with air and last for about 8 hours. I first discovered them when watching my sons footy matches in winter and now use them quite a lot if we’re having a cold spell. I hate having cold feet.

Fingerless cashmere gloves.
Hot water bottle on your lap, to place your hands on whenever you’re not typing.
Electric blanket (instead of hot water bottle).

My hands are sorted! I’m looking for solutions for my feet

It’s not a legal minimum. My work due to no heating often sits around 14-16c in winter if not colder and it’s not comfortable for a desk job but we deal with it and they’re working to improve it
heated gilets/jackets help

I'm in the office, have my jumper sleeves pulled down over my hands (its the backs of my hands that get really cold) and contemplating whether to go and get my fleece to put on. We have useless air-con and I will be sitting shivering while other people will be swanning about in t-shirts. I have used fingerless gloves in the past because I don't care but I think I might get some wrist warmers.

I didn't say it was a legal minimum.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terecey-Turtleneck-Thermal-Underwear-Stand-up/dp/B0DBH4F29Z?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&smid=A3U0CAVL0TOJZU&th=1&psc=1

Something like this maybe?

Turtle Doves all the way for me. Cashmere is so very warm, warmer than just wool and of course extremely soft. Turtle Doves have a very wide range of colours so you can coordinate with your outfits, too.

No you said regulation. I just meant there’s no point putting a thermometer on the desk as even if it’s lower than 16c, you can’t do anything about it

I've just looked at the Turtle Doves site and it seems that you get a random colour/pattern for the £20 ones.