To not put the heating on for the cleaner?

[Falcon1]

It's 13 degrees today and feels very mild. I work from home and I'm perfectly comfortable. I don't like being too hot and we only put the heating on if it drops below 16 in the house. It's about 18 currently.

Anyway, just had an arsey message from the cleaning company saying my cleaner has complained about the cold and that all clients must ensure their houses are heated to at least 22 degrees whilst the cleaners are there.

AIBU to think this is ridiculous? I'm in the bloody house myself! Surely if I'm comfortable sitting at my desk, the cleaner (who is being active) should be able to cope?

You are all harsh victorian style employers and I'm jolly glad I don't work for any of you.
Have some humanity.
Thank god we have EU employment laws. Ah! Oh no!

@Realitea don't you bloody start on the ' they need to work harder to warm up bollocks!' you're supposed to support fellow cleaners.
I'm a damn good cleaner but I'm also always cold. I reiterate, I AM ALWAYS COLD! apart from today in my elderly clients boiling hot houses

@PumpkinPieAlibi where in the Caribbean are you!

I laughed at your post, 18oc here in Cayman and we're in hoodies, jeans and boots!

We cool our house to 26-27oc 😎

It takes me a while to adjust my body to UK temps whenever I go back to visit, shivering even on warm summer days!

Just wondering if you have a great local lady or an agency. Must be an agency?(apologies haven't read all msgs). My thoughts are that so long as you are paying well (between 10 and 20 per hour) depending on geographical area, then NO heating question is ridiculous. We get hot whilst cleaning and can wear a jumper if necessary. If agency , then do you know what percentage the agency take ?.
Apologies if I was supposed to read all posts before replying but have had a glass of wine now after long hard day . Cheers

You are all harsh victorian style employers and I'm jolly glad I don't work for any of you
Have some humanity.

Yep.

(The email tone and temperature should be taken up with the agency, but ffs treat the cleaner kindly)

How good is the cleaner? Is she worth compromising over?

Also. Have been out working, farming, in UK at 5am in -12 c in those real cold winters we had. Couldn't breathe in without it freezing up your nose . Just got on with it. Told you I'd had a glass of wine ! All true though .x

I don't heat the house in the day, and work from home. My cleaner has never complained, she's usually in a T-shirt and sweating when I see her!

ArgumentativeAardvaark
I'd missed that.
In which case, to be honest, the agency aren't showing due diligence if they're sending someone to lone work in houses who doesn't speak enough English to engage in basic conversation/requests.

If the cleaner can't speak English enough to say to the OP she's a bit chilly, then is it safe for her to be lone working? Serious question because she's very vulnerable if that's her level of communication ability.

My cleaning ladies prefer the heating off, they get really hot whilst they're working and end up sweating. They have told me this themselves, it's not just an assumption. OP, I think your cleaning company is being OTT. Then again, if your cleaner doesn't speak English, does she originate from a warmer climate? That may explain her being chilly. Maybe up the thermostat to 20.

It's unclear whether there's a specific legal requirement (the relevant Act mentions 'a reasonable temperature') but official sources seem to read this as 16°C, or 13°C for 'heavy manual work'. 22 is HOT! I'd complain about that temperature at a desk job.

I would be freezing at 18 degree, I think YABU if you don't turn it up. It will only be for a few hours a week I presume.

Good grief, why wouldn't you want the cleaner to feel comfortable? Expecting anyone to work at 13 degrees is ridiculous. What a horrible employer you are that you need to even ask. What a horrible PERSON.

Littlemiss - 1) she isn't the employer. The cleaner's employer is an agency
2) the OP is expecting her to work in 18C not 13C
3) the cleaner is unlikely to be comfortable working at 22C in a physically active role and is going to be sweating buckets if the OP follows the agencies request
4) the OP has got pissed off with the wording of the agencies request

HTH

Good grief, why wouldn't you want the cleaner to feel comfortable? Expecting anyone to work at 13 degrees is ridiculous. What a horrible employer you are that you need to even ask. What a horrible PERSON.

Before denouncing the OP as a “horrible PERSON”, perhaps read it again. It was about 13 degrees outside (i.e. pretty mild for November). It was about 18 degrees inside. The thermostat is set at 16 degrees. The heating hadn’t come on because it was about 18 degrees and hadn’t dropped to 16 degrees. There’s been lots of discussion about whether 18 degrees is comfortable for sitting in and/or cleaning in.

Minimum workplace temperature
The Approved Code of Practice suggests the minimum temperature in a workplace should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius. If the work involves rigorous physical effort, the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. These temperatures are not absolute legal requirements; the employer has a duty to determine what reasonable comfort will be in the particular circumstances.

www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/law.htm

Under UK law working environment should be iro 16 degrees or 13 degrees if physical activity and outdoor work although PPE can be provided for those tasks. Sounds like there isn't enough dusting or hoovering going on to generate heat! The cleaning company are having a laugh...they send cleaners into warehouse and factories which can be considerably cold - again the cleaners would be expected to be working physically hard or be provided with working attire/PPE from the employer which is them...not you!

The OP isnt horrible

My house isn't heated to 22'C so they'd have to beep right off.
It's on a timer at 20'C
And the only time I notice its 'cold' is when I go and sit on the sofa, after about half an hour I realise and grab a jumper.

If the windows are open all day then it'd be too cold ... but in a normal shut window situation it's fine to crack on with cleaning work without the heating on. imo.

YABU.

It was about 13 degrees outside (i.e. pretty mild for November). It was about 18 degrees inside. The thermostat is set at 16 degrees.

...at the time that the OP was posting. NOT when the cleaner was there.

agree with plenty of others, I would just put it on for an hour, half an hour before she comes.
problem should be solved.
at least it will be warm when she arrives.

Different people have different tolerances to hot and cold.

I found working in Sweden stifling - by law workplaces there must be 20-24C in the winter. I used to work with my window open while it was snowing outside.

My OH is a heating engineer. He's always laughing about how we get flinchy if the thermostat goes up to 20 because so many of the houses he goes to has them set at 22/23. It's personal preference but I wouldn't be turning it up for the cleaner, presumably as others have said, she would warm up while cleaning.

By law, environment that has employees, the employer is required to not allow the temperature to drop below 16'c. I can't understand why the cleaner is complaining of feeling cold if they are so active doing something like cleaning.