Dolly Parton’s famous call to “work the 9-5” could become a thing of the past, as climate change continues to wreak havoc on the planet, and with it, the workforce.
As the world gets warmer, companies may need to change the way their employees work to deal with “uncomfortable” heat levels, according to researchers from the University of Oxford.
And that’s bad news for night owls: Experts have recommended that British workers need to start their shift at 6 a.m., in order to finish by 2 p.m. and beat the midday heat. For those who commute an hour, this could mean starting the day early at 4am to get ready and go in the warmer months.
The new study published in the journal nature sustainability, claiming that Britain is one of many European countries that will have to adapt more to deal with the rising temperatures. However, unlike its Mediterranean neighbors, it does not really have cultural norms affected by hot weather, such as napping.
New “Summer Hours”.
Many companies have already embraced summer hours: L’Oréal, Asos and Nike are among the growing number of companies allowing employees to leave work between midday and 3.30pm on a Friday during the summer months.
However, rather than a means of engaging workers by allowing them to stop working early, the Oxford University study work schedule proposal aims more seriously at avoiding a scenario where employees overheat each year.
Experts warn that as the heat builds and becomes more challenging as the day goes on, a 2pm finish will be better than a 5pm finish.
That’s why in Spain – where the temperatures are so high approached 45 ° C (113 Fahrenheit) During heatwaves across southern Europe – companies are leading the way and requiring workers to finish (and start) their work early.
“In southern Spain, for example across Andalusia, these summer work patterns are not new,” said study author Jesús Lizana. MailOnline.
“It is very common for outdoor workers in July and August (such as construction workers and agricultural workers) to shift to an early start hour – such as 6am to 2pm – to avoid working during the hottest hours of the day,” he added. “Even shops close during the hot summer hours, closing from 2pm to 6pm and opening again from 6pm to 9pm.”
Scientists believe that changes to working hours will be especially beneficial for people who work outdoors or in buildings that are not designed to withstand temperature extremes.
But even in workplaces equipped with the cool breeze of air conditioning units, the researchers warn of a “vicious cycle” in which people burn more fossil fuels to provide energy for air conditioning that then warms the climate, requiring more energy. So even office workers would do well to stop working early.
Copy Japan’s “Cool Biz” policy
Along with Switzerland and Norway, the UK will see an almost 30% increase in days with uncomfortable high temperatures – not counting extreme weather events, such as heat waves, which are becoming increasingly prevalent.
“Even a small increase in temperature actually shows a high relative change that can be very impactful and make these countries more likely to need more cooling,” Nicole Miranda said. who led the study. “These increases in relative change will mean that we need to deploy adaptation measures to cooling quickly and on a large scale.”
But she warned economies not to prepare for rising temperatures and to take the easier option later by installing air conditioners, which will exacerbate the problem.
So the solutions proposed by the researchers include modifying the buildings to include ventilation measures that can also be closed to conserve heat during the winter and planting more trees next to the buildings to create shade.
Meanwhile, employers could emulate Japan and encourage employees to ditch their suits and wear casual clothes in the summer months to keep cool.
Her government launched its “Cool Biz” policy nearly two decades ago to reduce energy use and combat global warming.
In addition to requiring workers to wear short-sleeved shirts, the government’s recommendations include keeping office thermostats at or above 28C, getting staff to work earlier, allowing workers to take longer vacations in the summer, and banning overtime.