This week, Sadie Restorick and Simon Scott-Nelson from Wellity Global, reflect on the UK heatwave and the importance of employers being flexible.

 

heat

As the UK enjoys longer summers and higher temperatures, particularly this week as the Met Office implements a red warning across much of the UK, it’s vital employers are flexible to help their teams stay comfortable and productive.

The heat can have serious health and safety implications, particularly for those who commute long journeys, do not have access to air-con or are already vulnerable. Employees’ health and safety need to be a priority.

We’ve noted some top tips below on how you can keep your employees cool and safe this summer as temperatures continue to rise.

  1. Arrange flexible working if this isn’t already in place. Allow employees to work from home to reduce commuting or change their working hours to earlier or later in the day.

  2. Keep the blinds or curtains drawn to reduce the amount of sunlight coming through. This can help to keep the temperature lower, both in the office and at home.

  3. Create your own air-con. If you don’t have an air-con available, placing a large bowl of ice or a frozen bottle of water in front of a fan will create your own form of cool air, lowering the temperature more than a standalone fan would do.

  4. Consider relaxing dress codes for employees that need to come into the office.

It’s important to remember that some employees may be more adversely affected by the heat such as those with a disability or health condition and to be particularly mindful of these people.

For more information on how to best manage your employees’ wellbeing, get in touch with the Wellity team at hello@wellityglobal.com