what to do when the work place is too hot?
I have an office job, I've only started almost 2 months now but due to the heatwave the office temperature has become extremely hot 29 celcius/84 F which is too hot for me as i'm overheating and its exasperating my migraines. We already have 3 fans and 1 portable AC unit in our office of 3 people. It's an old building so the heat is being absorbed and creating an oven effect. What to do, I dont have the option of working from home. My boss is aware of the office heat and poor air circulation but she does not understand that heat exasperates my condition, last year she worked from home when there was a heat wave.
Hi
, I'm not sure where you are located. In the US we have the ADA, If you are located un the UK, migraine is covered as a disability under the Equality Act of 2010, and if you are in Australia, they are also covered under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Under any of these protections, you can request a workplace accommodation. You will need to provide medical documentation. I hope that helps! Please keep in touch and let us know how it goes! - Warmly, Donna (Team Member) thank you for your reply. What is considered a workplace accommodation? When the building's infrastructure can't be fixed. The addition of the 2nd AC has cooled the area a bit but it is still uncomfortable to work, I'm not able to concentrate with the excessive noise, bad ergonomics and hot cold feeling from when at my desk. I also feel duped as I was not informed of this situation at the time of the interview, she said she worked from home in the summer time. Hi
, according to the ADA:
What are reasonable accommodations for people with migraine?Examples of reasonable accommodations that an employer could provide to an employee with migraine may include:
Flexible work schedule: Allowing the employee to adjust their work hours or work from home to accommodate their migraine symptoms.
Increased breaks for food or beverage.
Provide a dark quiet space where an employee can rest during a migraine attack.
Reduced lighting or noise: Adjusting lighting or noise levels in the workplace to reduce triggers for the employee’s migraine attacks.
Reduce or eliminate strong odors in the workplace.
Accommodation of medication: Allowing the employee to take prescribed medication, or to take breaks to use medication when needed.
Reassignment to a different position: If the employee’s current job duties trigger their migraine, the employer could consider reassigning them to a different position that is better suited to their needs.
https://headaches.org/americans-with-disabilities-act-ada/
These may also prove helpful:
https://www.migraineagain.com/19-ways-to-accommodate-an-employee-with-migraines/
https://www.migrainedisorders.org/migraine-job-accommodations/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9829618/
If you were promised the ability to work from home, it does seem that the position was misrepresented.
Working from home during periods of extreme heat can be considered a workplace accommodation as long as you have documented that heat is a migraine trigger.
Please keep in touch and let us know how you're doing! - Warmly, Donna (Team Member)
