Who is being unreasonable about the heating?

[Adizona]

Two colleagues work in a clinic.
A works in the clinic which is large room, open plan with no windows, 2 adjustable setting radiators and air con.
B works on the reception desk which is medium room, floor to ceiling windows which do not open and a door along the front, one non adjustable radiator and air con.
All radiators are controlled by hive which is set to 22 degrees (temperature only reaches 21 degrees with the heating on) and the hive thermostat is in reception.
The on/off button for the heating is in the staff room which can only be accessed via the clinics.
A is constantly complaining that they are hot and keeps turning the heating off via the on/off button leaving B complaining that they are freezing and keeps going back to turn on the heating back on.
A says B can put on extra layers, B says that they are already wearing thermals and has a blanket as the door keeps being opened by patients and the windows let a lot of cold in.
B says that A can turn the radiators down/off, A says this doesn't work as the radiators are still slightly warm if the heating is on and she want them cold.
Both women are perimenopausal age (if that is at all relevant)
So who is being unreasonable and how can this be resolved?
Management are useless, avoid confrontation and will not get involved.

Plug in seat warmer? Double doors to not let all the cold in? Get the heating changed to a thermostat per room? Reassess the fire safety as a plug in oil heater really is safe? It feels like there is a solution that doesn't involve grown women just stropping and sulking.

Does the one who keeps turning it off not have thermostatic radiator valves in their room so they can just turn their radiators off? That would be the best solution.

Is it even legal in the UK to let someone work a desk job at 12 degrees?

A is totally bonkers, not allowing the heating to just pass through the room.

Both are around same size.
Portable/oil heaters are not allowed.

I am B, I wear base layer of thermals including socks, warm clothes on top, large cardigan/jumper and a blanket, I also wear fingerless gloves. I cannot wear more but I’ll ask about a heated seat warmer.

A is a difficult person, very used to having things how they like them and creates a terrible (toxic) environment if it isn’t, this is why management won’t help and there isn’t HR so I’m kind of stuck with what to do.

Today A is working with someone who also hates being cold so we will see what happens, DH has said I should tell management that I will go/stay at home on full pay until they help resolve things.

I think you should keep a written log of the temperatures during each day. And maybe a log of what you’re having to wear each day too! Then I would escalate it again to management in writing.

Can they add a thermostatic radiator valve to the one in reception so it can be controlled? Can the person who is too hot have the aircon on if the heating is also on?

I'd say turning off the radiators in the clinic is the simplest solution and that A is being unreasonable. If my office was 12 degrees I'd be going home!

That sounds very cold for a desk job - if you are not moving it's very chilly at 18 degrees. I would get a temperature logger, share the data and that will make it clear it's not acceptable to have the heating off. There is a minimum legal temperature for workplaces (I think 16) and if it's dropping below it that will be your key point. If it isn't you may have trouble.

I dont know the answer other than 12 degrees is too low.

Tgey do say heat the person not the room so could you get a heated gillet. They have a battery and some charge via a USB. My sons school is outdoors and a lot of staff have them.

I'm not sure what the fire risk of a portable heater was, but they also make infra red things that wall or relining mount.

The hot one can't do anything to reduce the heat the cold one can add extra layers

I was always freezing at work and had a blanket and hot water bottle as well as layers of woollen clothing. As yet another winter dawned I decided I'd had enough and told my manager that I was handing my notice in.
Within a week I had a portable heater. Within a month they'd repositioned the air ceiling vents, eliminating the draughts.

So, A is being unreasonable and you'll have to be even more unreasonable than her in order to get management do anything about it.

Get an oul filled radiator ti go near your desk. They are a very low fire risk

Twelve degrees is far too low and although there isn’t a set law there is guidance for it to be above 16 for office based jobs and 13 for labour intensive jobs. Health and safety states that temperature must be comfortable. I would put in writing my intention to raise a form dispute with ACAS if they refuse to intervene and sort it. They may not want confrontation but as management is their job so sometimes you have to do things in order to get the ball rolling to make sure that they do.

Can you not swap seats?

Yes do this. Get the hive thermostatic that can go in individual radiators and zone off each room to its own temp!

But also sounds like A is being unreasonable to not even turn the radiators down to 0. It shouldn't get that warm surely if the rads are switch to off!

What does A wear to work? Are they in a cotton dress and bare legs?

Only people who don't feel the cold think you can just add more layers.

A needs this and will never be cold again.

www.argos.co.uk/product/9190629?clickPR=plp:1:63

To be honest it sounds as if the issue is that the outside doors are letting all the heat out. There should be a lobby or at least 2 sets of doors to save as much heat as possible, otherwise even if the reception area were heated to 25 degrees, the temperature will still plummet on cold days.
Is there the possibility to put up
A screen around the reception desk to cut some of the draft?

What is A wearing, is there room for taking off some layers or wearing a shirt sleeve cool shirt/dress?

I sympathise with you B/op as I cannot think or concentrate when it's below 18/19. But my husband is more like A, has a meltdown when he gets too hot.

Like someone suggested, can you swap desks?

Guidance says 16 degrees is a minimum temperature (there is no max) so 12 is frankly ridiculous and it is only going to get worse and is affecting patients as well

https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/the-law.htm

health and safety is being breached with it being below 16
you need to push back that the temperature is currently too low and runs the risk of making you ill - maybe agreeing 18/19 degrees is an idea

management can’t just go sort it out between yiu

Exactly this. HSE guidance in the workplace is as such for a reason and one persons selfishness doesn’t override the law and the general right of comfort for everyone else.

except in this case the hot one can reduce the heat because she can turn the radiators off in her room!

Can you get a cheap thermostat and test exactly what the temperature is in A's room when the heating is on full blast in reception but the radiators are turned off in A's room? Or get a friend to write an anonymous complaint pretending to be a patient saying they came in today and were absolutely freezing because the temp was at 12degrees indoors.

A does sound like a PITA and the managers need to do what they are paid for. Apart from anything else it hardly looks professional if the receptionist has a blanket wrapped around her and the waiting room is full of people shivering!

However you do at least have the advantage over her in that you are in the room with the thermostat, so it's not as if she can keep constantly coming out to change it when she's working!

This is my take as well. I suffer in the heat and it’s frustrating when you can’t do anything about it while keeping decent.

Ive been both the freezing one and the one with the hot flushes. Adding more layers is the easy option