How cold is too cold to go into work?

It comes as temperatures plummet.

The mercury has plummeted and your breath now hangs thick in the air, getting out of your warm bed is a nightmare and the office being colder than a snowman's carrot doesn't help.

Down the years, many of us will have sat in freezing offices and asked ourselves, how cold is too cold to work?

Well, we have the answer!

Working outdoors

While there are no defined laws regarding working temperatures, there is plenty of advice out there to help employees look after their staff.

This is especially important for those who work outdoors, with the Health And Safety Executive (HSE) making clear the steps employers should take to look after staff working outside.

The HSE says that in cold weather, mobile facilities should be provided for getting warm with soup or hot drinks available to staff.

This comes alongside more frequent rest breaks and appropriate protective equipment provided for staff.

The executive advises that health screening should take place for workers who are pregnant, have illnesses or disabilities, or need to take certain medication.

In extreme cases, consideration should be given to pushing back outside work until there is warmer weather where possible.

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Government guidelines and office dwellers

According to official government guidance on workplace temperatures, there are in fact no laws around how hot or cold an office has to be for people to work in it - chilling stuff.

However, thankfully the government does advise that all offices should not be allowed to get any colder than 16ºC for stationary work and 13ºC for physical work - I'm sure all employers will definitely follow these guidelines rigorously!

Nonetheless, not all hope is lost, as bosses need to be mindful of office temperatures according to the Workplace Regulations set out in 1992.

Those regulations state that employers must legally provide a workplace with a “reasonable” temperature and good ventilation.

Sadly, due to the rather loose definitions of what constitutes too hot or too cold, it’s more up to what your boss considers a “reasonable” workplace temperature.

Just pray you're not an employee of Scrooge and Marley, pre-Christmas enlightenment, otherwise you might end up as a live action version of Frosty the Snowman.