Are you being looked after in the workplace?

It’s a bit hot, innit? The last week or so has been incredibly hot, (well, for the UK anyway) & we’ve been subjected to newsflash after newsflash about how we’re all going to die & that no one on earth has ever experienced such apocalyptic temperatures. PANIC!

However seriously you take all of that chatter & whether or not it’s to do with the very real threat of global warming, or if it’s just that long forgotten word - ‘summer’, it can’t be denied, that doing any kind of work in this sort of heat is challenging at the very least... It’s downright dangerous or even impossible in some circumstances. It’s at times like this, when you should keep a close eye on your employer. Are they looking after you when things get tough? We don’t need babysitting & we’re not looking for someone to rub sun cream on us (well, not right now…) but it would be nice to think that our employers show some consideration for our needs & our comfort.

If they can’t make allowances & adaptations to terms & conditions throughout these rare occasions of ‘extreme weather’, it’s very unlikely that they would ever give two hoots about their workforce the rest of the time. So, are we suggesting they say “you should just take the day off?” “Sit in the garden & enjoy the weather as best you can?" "Wait until it all blows over" kinda thing? No, because that’s not real life, sadly. The wheels of industry can’t just stop turning because we’re experiencing our first real summer since 1967 or something. There are things they can be doing to show you they care though… How about relaxing the times of the working day for example? Allow the team to finish a little early, to beat the traffic & avoid coming home in a mobile oven. That would help...

Stocking the freezers with ice pops & water bottles would be a good idea too. That might even be fun!

Little gestures can go a long, long way. They might even relax the dress code, you know, so you don’t have to sweat your back out in a three piece suit! Some workplaces won’t bend at all, and it was particularly amusing to see in the news this week, the story of the council worker who had a Hi-Vis kilt made up, to allow him to work comfortably, whilst still sticking to the stringent ‘no shorts’ policy.

Well played, sir!!

If you’re one of the lucky ones & you do feel looked after, that’s great & well done to your employers as well.

If you’re asking these questions covered in sweat, wondering why on earth you’re still stuck to a machine, or a desk, or a phone, or whatever, it could be time to speak to Career Garage, & to reevaluate what you’re looking for from the world of work. If you’re just a replaceable cog in the machine to them, you should see ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ is, as no more than a job & guess what? Jobs are replaceable too. Sometimes they’re replaceable with jobs where workers feel comfortable, happy, safe, secure…AKA – ‘looked after…’

Now, I wonder if those ice pops have frozen yet!