To Get Annoyed At This Colleague...

[0FrillyKnickers0]

I work in an office and am 27 weeks pregnant. Our windows are positioned so that the sun pours in all day long and turns the office into an oven. I appreciate that I am the only pregnant person in the office, however I have been really struggling with the heat. I have a fan on my desk which just seems to circulate the hot air, but it does make life a little more bearable.

However, we have an air conditioning unit which one admin member refuses to let me put on because of the noise. It?s not very loud, certainly not loud enough that it would put people off their work, but she is adamant that she won?t have it on. Whenever she is out I put it on and she comes back and turns the ruddy thing off. I do make sure I wear the coolest clothes I own?

So, AIBU in thinking that she should just suck it up and wear a cardi/deal with the ?noise?? Or should I just sweat it out and embrace carpal tunnel and swollen feet?!

Outraged - If someone is cold, they can put a jumper on. If someone is hot, there is little they can do but wear as little as possible. That is the difference.

Buy her some ear plugs. The ones from superdrug are good and about 1.50.

When that person has gotten away with turning the AC off without asking I think they are definitely the more selfish one. I wonder if such behaviour would be tolerated in the winter? I'm hot so I'll turn the heating off without asking the other people in the office first.

We have the same issue in our office. Its a long, open plan office, 2 desks are directly under the air con so the people under there are literally putting their coats on whilst everyone else is sweating.

We still put it on though, we work on the theory that everyone should suffer for a short period of time rather than a few people suffering for the whole day!

It goes on for about an hour, then when the people under it are freezing it goes off for an hour until its so hot we are falling asleep, then on for another hour etc :)

Probably not the ideal solution as there's always someone that's too hot or too cold but probably better than a few people being miserable for a whole 8 hours!

Just say youre going to put it on cos you are too hot, but you're happy to turn it off after an hour or do as long as everyone is aware you are going to put it back on when you get too hot again.

Freddos has a point really.

Perhaps you could just limit the amount of time you put it on?

Also, a fine mist water spray feels lovely when you're sat in front of a fan.

Perhaps you could try that for the time the air con is off?

Go to you GP and tell him how the unbearable heat in the office is making you suffer. Get a sick note and tell your boss the problem could be solved by switching on (and keeping on) the air con.

Then again, this glorious weather won't last long I imagine...

Back in the day people used to go on Maternity Leave at 28 weeks. I did when I had my DS1. You can still start it at 29 weeks. The reason for that is that when you are heavily pregnant you get hot, tired and uncomfortable and it becomes increasingly difficult to commute/sit in an office all day.

I do not wish to be unsympathetic - and I know the OP is only 27 weeks anyway - but if one is too uncomfortable to be able to stand being in the office without making others uncomfortable, and one is able to take maternity leave, then maybe one ought to take it.

Have you had a risk assessment done on your workplace as you are pregnant? Was there anything in that about temperature?

So it's not that she's too cold with the air con on (as a couple of the other colleagues are), just that she's bothered by the noise?

I know this might be a little bit of an upheaval but is there any way to change around the layout of the office, so that she's not in the noisy part and the other colleagues are not directly under the blowers for the air con? Then find a setting for the air con that everyone is reasonably comfortable with.

Can your desk be moved to a cooler, shadier part of the office or would you be allowed to close the window blinds to keep the sun off you? Or block off the window some other way, plain white paper over the glass works quite well as a temporary measure.

Would your boss invest in a better fan for you or would he object to you taking regular breaks in a cooler part of the building?

Is there a less noisy environment for her to work in?

I don't think the OP should ask for special treatment because she's pregnant. That just makes her look the odd one out and the reason for the problem.

Offices need to cooled in this weather because it's more comfortable for staff. They are happier and work better when they are not sweating, and the aircon unit has been provided for that purpose.

To switch it off when it's needed most of all is just unreasonable. If it's noisy then it needs to be serviced. Management should get it fixed and the thermostat set to a reasonable level.

Both of you are being U, her more so however. It sounds like she's not interested in anyone but herself, but you OP have taken her views into consideration and finally thought fuck it enough is enough. I would go to HR.

An office I worked in, no one but facilities were even allowed to touch the air con. And it was worked on the principle that the majority not the minority had to be kept happy.
However having said that, they really did try their damndest to sort out and keep the minority happy too. I was the minority and just had extra layers to put on. I could put more clothes on, they couldn't take any more off!