How heat will impact our workplace: 2024 Report
Introduction
Heat is already changing the way we work, from productivity and safety to how we plan commutes and schedule tasks. This 2024 report summarises what rising UK temperatures mean for organisations and the practical steps to prepare.
What the data tells us
Since 1884, UK average temperatures have trended upwards. Recent summers have brought more frequent hot spells and the impacts are no longer confined to outdoor work: indoor spaces without effective cooling can also see performance and comfort decline.
What heat does to work
Productivity and attention
Sustained heat can reduce concentration and decision quality. Tasks that rely on attention to detail or time-critical activity are typically the first to suffer.
Wellbeing and safety
Heat increases fatigue risk, irritability and dehydration. Lone workers and those travelling after dark may linger outdoors longer when transport is disrupted — elevating personal safety concerns.
Facilities and operations
Equipment rooms, older buildings and crowded spaces warm quickly. Ventilation, shading and occupancy make a marked difference to comfort and risk.
Practical steps organisations can take
Plan the day, not just the week
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Adjust shift patterns and task order so heat-sensitive work is done earlier.
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Permit flexible starts/finishes during hot spells.
Make the building work for people
- Prioritise airflow: operable windows, fans and local extraction where safe.
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Provide cool zones for breaks; review blinds/shading and internal heat sources.
Travel visibility at the front door
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Surface live travel and weather information at reception and on intranet pages so staff and visitors can make informed choices before they leave.
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Where possible, highlight safer walking routes, shuttle times and links to real-time rail information.
Hydration and awareness
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Make water easy to access; add visible prompts near busy points.
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Run short, clear comms on heat stress indicators and when to escalate.
Supervision and lone working
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Use simple check-ins for higher-risk tasks in heat and after dark.
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Ensure teams know who is monitoring and how to get help quickly.
Case study:
Who is most affected
Some colleagues are more vulnerable to heat, for example during pregnancy, certain health conditions, or when using PPE. Managers should be supported to make local, sensible adjustments without stigma.
What to measure and improve
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Comfort and complaints: track patterns by time of day and location.
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Incident and intervention: record when tasks are paused or moved due to heat.
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Travel friction: capture the most frequent questions at reception to improve pre-departure information.
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Small data, used consistently, helps target improvements where they matter.
The outlook
Warmer periods will become more common. Sensible adjustments — better information, small environmental changes and flexible scheduling — reduce risk and improve the working day for everyone.
Download the report
Frequently asked questions
Q1. how does heat affect productivity?
Hot environments can reduce concentration, increase fatigue and slow decisions. Small changes in temperature and airflow make noticeable differences.
Q2. is this only an issue for outdoor work?
No. Enclosed, busy or poorly ventilated spaces warm quickly and can be uncomfortable even when the forecast is moderate.
Q3. what immediate steps can we take?
Start earlier on heat-sensitive tasks, improve airflow, make water easy to access, and surface live travel and weather information at exit points.
Q4. how should managers support vulnerable colleagues?
Offer simple, stigma-free adjustments: cooler work areas, more frequent breaks, and flexibility on tasks and timing.
Q5. what should reception show during hot spells?
Live transport, local weather alerts and clear shuttle or walking information so people can leave promptly and safely.
Q6. what do we measure to improve?
Track comfort complaints, heat-related task changes and common travel queries. Use this to prioritise ventilation, scheduling and information.
More resilience case studies:
How heat will impact our workplace: References
Heat
(1a) https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-health-and-environment-4f23d928ea637d239147c0e4adbad6dc
(1a) https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.8167
Productivity
(1) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-023-00803-4
(1) https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-health-and-environment-4f23d928ea637d239147c0e4adbad6dc
Health
Transport
Video transcript: How heat will impact our workplace
Introduction to how heat will impact our workplace
How does heat impact how we work? Hi, my name is Andrew and in our report, we look at exactly this question.
As this graph shows, in the report, since 1884 , the UK average temperature has consistently gone up, and since 2003, we’ve had the hottest 10 years on record. And of course, yes, there’s more bad news. UK extremes of temperature are changing much faster. Things are bad, and they’re going to get worse.
Productivity
This then has an impact on three things. Three themes. Productivity, health, and transport. And even if you have aircon in place, we should still expect it to reduce productivity. Indeed, for every one degree increase in temperature, we should expect 0.83% reduction in productivity, even if we have aircon.
Aircon then also draws lots of power from the grid, and power outages is possibly something we’re going to see much more often in the future. In 2023 , the UK Power Network surveyed 2000 households and found that 23% of respondents had experienced a power outage in the last months. That means power outages is going to be an issue for us. Then there is the matter of children. Children in schools often don’t have aircon, and this means that many children are sent home because of high heat. Over in the US, they see six to seven, on average, days every single year being called heat days. And over in the US, they’ve also just passed a law in New York which says that if temperatures get to 31 degrees, all children should go home. Now degrees is not that infrequent a temperature anymore.
Health
Then we have the impact of heat on our health and vulnerable people. We should all be thinking about SWEP, Severe Weather Emergency Protocols. We’ll see them much more activated initially in public spaces where we’re going to have cool tents, and cool spaces. These are areas that people that work and live outside a lot can go and get shelter and recover from the heat. But we should be thinking about how we in organisations help people that are travelling into the workplace recover from that heat.
Transport
Then there’s the impact of heat on our transport system. And, interestingly, planes don’t manage heat that well. When it hots up, when it heats up, the air gets thinner, which means that planes find it more difficult to take off. : They need more runway, and when they do get lift, the lift is more shallow. This means that very often, when it’s really hot, planes will need to take alternative diverted routes to avoid high buildings and mountains. Then there are our lovely trains. Our trains are impacted by heat, because very often, we will find in extreme temperatures, there’s an increased likelihood of rails buckling.
If the temperature goes above 36 degrees, we should expect delays on our trains, because they undergo a temporary speed restriction. And then there’s our vehicles. Heat can melt asphalt. It can also get concrete to expand to the point that it buckles, and that leaves ridges in the road, which can help axles to break and lead to accidents. Also, our tyres are more likely to explode.
Take action
What then can we do about the impact of heat on our workplace? :The report looks at the next steps that we should take over the next 12 months, and it helpfully outlines some risk assessment ideas.
Heat risk assessment
It looks at the impact of heat on people and our facilities, and of course the mitigations that we need to have in place, as well as the impact of heat on transport. If you’d like to get the report in full.
Please go to getsirv.com, scan the QR code, that’s another way of going directly to the report. And if you like this video, please say so on social media. Like it, and leave comments. My name is Andrew, thanks for watching.
