The UK could be set for the hottest day of the year for the second day in a row. But can you stop working if it gets too warm?
The Met Office has said temperatures could reach 33C today (Friday 20th June 2025), while heat alerts remain in place until Monday.
This has led some to question if it can ever be too hot to work from home or the office, what the rules are for employers and their duty of care to their employees?
The guidance from Gov.uk states:
During working hours, the temperature in all indoor workplaces must be reasonable.
There’s no law for minimum or maximum working temperatures, for example when it’s too cold or too hot to work.
However, guidance suggests a minimum of 16ºC or 13ºC if employees are doing physical work.
There’s no guidance for a maximum temperature limit.
Employers must stick to health and safety at work law, including:
- keeping the temperature at a comfortable level
- providing clean and fresh air
Employees should talk to their employer if the workplace temperature is not comfortable.
William Walsh, a partner in the employment team at law firm DMH Stallard says:
"All employers have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of their employees in the workplace so far as reasonably practicable.
Failure to do so can not only result in sanctions against the organisation, but also criminal liabilities for directors and managers.
When it comes to working in hot conditions, there is no maximum working temperature specified in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. This would be impractical, as some work environments will always involve exposure to high heat, for example those working in glass works.
While there is no specified maximum temperature, this does not mean that heat can be ignored.
For office workers, employers should also consider dress codes, particularly if the normal requirement is that employees wear long trousers, shirts and ties. Employers need to be aware of the health risks and the warning signs of an employee suffering from heat exhaustion or other physical effects caused by the heat.
Employers need to remember that, if employees are working from home, the health and safety obligations still apply to that working environment.
The risks should be much lower, as home workers are unlikely to be undertaking physical tasks and, even if they were told to stop working, those individuals would still be in their same home environment. But the issue should not be discounted altogether.”