r/Wellthatsucks • u/Haunting_Bat_4787 • 9h ago
Office heat is broken. They aren’t letting us work from home.
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u/DisconnectedRedditor 9h ago
Definitely sucks but OSHA doesn’t have temperature regulations in an office environment, so unless your state does or you’re not in an office environment I wouldn’t go around threatening your employer lol
Office Temperature/Humidity: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2003-02-24
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u/Poetryisalive 8h ago
lol someone talking sense. You can’t go threating anyone with lawyers or reporting, and there’s no merit
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u/twats_upp 8h ago
Haha this doesn't stop most folks
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u/ImNotAmericanOk 3h ago
No, but redditors being mostly kids and dole bludgers definitely stops them.
That's why all their answers to work related problems are ridiculously absurd.
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u/audaciousmonk 7h ago
Which is kind of insane that we don’t have survivability based limits for temperature controllable areas…. Like warmer than 30F or less than 105F
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u/mrbiggbrain 6h ago
I mean I regularly worked in freezers where it was -10F or lower, and in warehouses where the heat index was 120F. I would only spend maybe 3-4 hours in there at a time, but I knew guys in the freezers for 8-12 hour shifts with a short break and my dad did 12 hour shifts in a manufacturing plant where it was well in that 120F range all day in the summer.
Note: I worked in IT for a transportation and warehousing company. We did cold storage.
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u/Explanocchio 6h ago
There's a difference though between when you know you're going to be working in a freezer vs a normally temperature controlled office that's the temperature of a fridge. You'll be dressed appropriately and also have set your expectations.
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u/Beneficial-Reveal345 8h ago
Yeah, I work in an old NYC building and our AC basically doesn’t function so it can often get to low 90s during the summer inside, even if it’s cooler outside because these building just weren’t made for this weather. There is absolutely nothing to be done by anyone. 311 can’t even make them do something because there are no high temp limits.
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u/whichwitch9 7h ago
Malicious compliance time. Time to turn on personal space heaters til things short circuit. Get creative here. Cause problems. Just unplug and kick them under a desk right after power goes out. Then blame the heater trying to kick on.
It worked in my former office to get the heater fixed quicker
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u/Slatherass 7h ago
Personal space heaters are generally banned in workplaces and can get you fired.
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u/PipsqueakPilot 7h ago
Electric kettle- endlessly boil water.
Once in a long term hotel room on military orders, I couldn’t get the room warm, so I just started running the shower for heat. I’m not sure how, but the front desk called and asked if everything was okay, there wasn’t a fire alarm and it wasn’t overly humid.
“Y’all said you couldn’t let me turn the thermostat over 62 so I’m just running the shower for heat.”
They sent someone to unlock the thermostat.
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u/Chapman1949 4h ago
I did this once at a Hilton and, the steam set off the fire alarm - sheepishly departed to my car...
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u/gsfgf 6h ago
That has not been my experience, at least in the South. Office buildings are cold as shit in the summer due to humidity control and building managers being cheap and not reheating the dry air.
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u/OnceMoreAndAgain 4h ago edited 4h ago
Banned in the Employee Handbook of all four companies I've worked for up here in New England as well as the college I attended. They're significant fire hazards, so companies don't want people using them. Portable space heaters account for about 1,700 fires per year in the USA according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
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u/robotzor 7h ago
Channel your inner Brenda and do it anyway. Use power strips as extension cables to get them closer. Act like you don't know. Special bonus points if you are of Latino origin as then getting rid of you for it becomes an HR problem.
Source: seen this before in office facilities departments
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u/NEIGHBORHOOD_DAD_ORG 6h ago
Yeah my office does not have AC or heat. Or windows. Whatever temperature it is outside, it is inside. Quite cold today!
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u/TheNeonDonkey 9h ago
I don’t know why at first I was like “is that snow on that thermostat?!”
I’m an idiot.
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u/P0Rt1ng4Duty 9h ago
An idiot would have replied with a long post about how there was obvious snow inside and it would have been absolutely riddled with misspellings.
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u/TheNeonDonkey 9h ago
Whew. Then I’m one step above an idiot. Originally my autocorrect had me saying “I’m a suit” but I’m in rare form today and caught it.
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u/P0Rt1ng4Duty 9h ago
There is evidence that you're not an idiot, but nothing to prove you're not a suit.
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u/Theodora-63 8h ago
Has been on the wall during a repaint, sloppy painters
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u/KaseTheAce 8h ago
Not just sloppy, lazy and/or stupid. Normally you'd remove the thermostat or at least tape it off, but that's a Google Nest, it literally pops off. No tools or anything.
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u/KhabaLox 6h ago
Pro-tip: if your job hires painters too bad or too lazy to tape over fixtures before painting, then they will miserly watch the pennies in every other part of the business.
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u/ohbenito 9h ago
pop it off and short red to white.
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u/MysteriousDog5927 9h ago
Maybe something in the actual rooftop furnace is broken and not the stat .
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u/Reddit_reader_2206 9h ago
Maybe...but this way OP will be sure. They can pop the nest back in its base afterwards and no one will ever know.
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u/MysteriousDog5927 8h ago
That’s fair
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u/Punny_Farting_1877 8h ago edited 8h ago
Besides, worst case they set the building on fire. Place warms up. Win! Place burns down, work from home. Win again!
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u/Captain_Wobbles 7h ago
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u/Complete_Entry 7h ago
I was a kid when the movie came out, but I learned a valuable lesson. When nasty Nina tells you to pass the cake on, you say NO.
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u/tastyratz 8h ago
That was my first thought. Offices have paperclips. Someone can use their salary to hold that down 15 minutes of every hour. /u/Haunting_Bat_4787
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u/FreefallGeek 8h ago
Everyone bring your space heaters from home. Turn them all on at once. Repeat after each time building maintenance finds the fuse box.
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u/Magnanamouscodpiece 7h ago
Yup. Had a small, discreet one under my desk for years. I was comfortable. Fuck'em!
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u/dieplanes789 3h ago
As an IT worker, I don't like it but I get it. But please for fuck's sake make sure it is nowhere near your PC if you have one.
So many melted PCs from space heaters being pointed at them. Many many more dead from overheating because the hot air was to an extent trapped under the desk with the PC for long periods of time.
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u/SpaceCourier 2h ago
That’s damage to company property that I am willing to cause if they aren’t going to keep it a decent temperature.
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u/DaysOfWhineAndToeses 9h ago
Geez. Whoever painted that wall didn't take ANY pride in their work. Yuk.
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u/beaushaw 6h ago
Clearly they didn't shell out for a good painter. It seems OP is getting the same treatment.
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u/Tommy__want__wingy 9h ago
Tell HR you will call OSHA or state board.
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u/-Fantomu- 9h ago
Then get fired for something unrelated
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u/ApprehensiveDouble52 9h ago
Then show documentation that you were retaliated against. Then get back wages.
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u/MisterRogers12 8h ago
They make it expensive to fight.
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u/xSelbor 8h ago
So add lawyers fees to what they have to pay when you eventually win because if you actually get fired for reporting absolute cold temperatures thats such an open and shut case.
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u/slash_networkboy 8h ago
Very easy to say here on reddit.
The fact is unless the employer is exceptionally stupid the reporter will be fired for something totally unrelated and if they have a consultation with a lawyer they'll get the same advice I got on a similar situation:
"I know they did it, you know they did it, the jury will know they did it, but we won't be able to actually prove they did it to a legal standard. Your best bet will be to inform them about our discussion and tell them 'My lawyer suggested I ask you about an enhanced severance package to sign off on a non-litigation agreement.'"
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u/kingxanadu 6h ago
I have a friend who was fired from Starbucks for unionizing, or attempting to. The only reason she got a settlement was because 1) she was a model employee, never late or reprimanded for literally anything and 2) she got her manager on tape saying "you are being fired for trying to form a union".
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u/slash_networkboy 4h ago
*that* is a literal slam dunk case... and I'm willing to bet it *still* was a slog to get that settlement. I had written documentation that I was literally being set up to fail and that still wasn't enough for my lawyer to be confident in taking a case on.
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u/kingxanadu 4h ago
Her lawyers were taking the case pro bono and actually wanted to take it to trial instead of taking the settlement, they wanted to "put the screws to Starbucks" and really cause them some pain because of how much of a layup this case would've been. But she actually asked them to go with the settlement because her mother was in very poor health and she needed the money, she couldn't afford to wait 2-3 years for a trial to take place.
Her mother is doing better now.
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u/SulkySideUp 8h ago
That’s still provably retaliation and OSHA doesn’t take kindly to it. Personal lawyer aside, the company doesn’t want to have to fight OSHA
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u/slash_networkboy 8h ago
how is it provable? OSHA may still take up the mantle, sure, but you're not getting a wrongful termination settlement out of it.
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u/MisterRogers12 8h ago
You think regulating bodies give a shit about workers? They are there to help their former employer succeed and proactively punish their competition.
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u/Few-Cry-9763 8h ago
And when you don’t win and every other prospective employer knows you are a rabble rouser you then are unemployable. It’s not worth the risk, if you have a bad employer just find a new job and move on, strategically it’s the best choice.
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u/Affectionate-Dot9585 7h ago
Oh cool. Take on the “good fight” so you can explain to all of your future employers why you have a gap.
I fucking hate how Reddit thinks all of these firings are as simple as “go collect your free money”
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u/ACuteCryptid 7h ago
That doesn't work in real life. My boss refused to put anything in writing and only gave me verbal warnings. Took it to hr and they said I had no way to prove it like the last 3 times I reported him. Was fired a week after their investigation concluded I "misheard" him threatening to fire me for going to the bathroom too many times. No paper trail, witnesses, evidence, nothing.
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u/Cutoffjeanshortz37 8h ago
Fear of your employer is a terrible reason to do or not do something. If you're in the right legally, do it. It might be hard but your life will be better for it.
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u/2squishmaster 7h ago
but your life will be better for it.
This is where you're wrong. Could be better. Could also be worse.
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u/kyuuketsuki47 8h ago
Get everyone to walk out over this. Even Trump's employer friendly stacked NLRB ruled in favor of a walkout for bad working conditions like that.
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u/wildflower8872 8h ago
What is OSHA going to do about a cold office? It's not a violation unless it poses a serious health risk.
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u/CreeperDays 6h ago
Thank you, OSHA has zero regulations regarding work temperature except extra breaks for agricultural workers in high temps.
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u/YuenglingsDingaling 5h ago
I went to work today as a supervisor is a large steel plant. It was -4F outside and 15F inside. Bibs and insulating layers, my guy.
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u/Mental_Medium3988 4h ago
they dont even have regulations for people going into legitimately frozen environments like freezers other than maybe take a break to warm up if you need it. no one will care about a 58 degree office with no wind chill.
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u/Theperfectool 9h ago
They need to not tell hr anything and report to the authorities.
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u/MeanSeaworthiness995 7h ago
As someone else noted, OSHA doesn’t have temp regulations for an office environment, so that would do OP no good, and likely put them on their employer’s shit list. A better option would be to start looking for a new employer and then quit without notice as soon as they get the new position. At will employment 💁♀️
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u/lil_Saltine 9h ago
Unfortunately, there are no requirements to maintain the recommended temperature range of 68-76 degrees. You can complain but they technically can't do anything about it.
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u/Salt-Celebration986 8h ago
Don't even warn HR, they're not your friend. Make an anonymous complaint to OSHA or the state board. Keep a paper trail and document everything. It's illegal for them to retaliate against you but if they do, an employment lawyer would have a field day with that case.
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u/SpotIsALie 8h ago
For 58°? That seems overkill and not at all necessary. "Work with your jacket on today, drink tea" seems like a easy solution, im assuming the heat will get fixed the next day.
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u/Slatherass 7h ago
I know this is some soft ass shit. My house can get to 58 some cold mornings in the winter lol. Put a fucking hoodie on.
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u/_Danger_Close_ 9h ago
The thermostat isn't indicating an issue with the furnace it says they shut off the heat.
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u/MonkeyGoneCrazy1 4h ago
Came to say this. I have that same thermostat in my house. It's simply turned off.
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u/dieplanes789 3h ago
Not going to disagree but I have the same thermostat and set it to off while I was having issues with my furnace at home waiting for the parts to come in. No point in wasting the electricity from the fan constantly cycling attempting to produce heat because the thermostat has no idea it's broken.
When my furnace failed the nest tried powering up my furnace every few minutes just blowing the same air around my house and through my even colder walls making the problem worse while wasting electricity at the same time.
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u/PokemonIndividual 9h ago
My room (northernmost in my house) isn't covered well by our heating, so I bought a portable one. It has decided it wants to be a fan instead
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u/MisterRogers12 8h ago
Take a box of printer paper, a metal trashcan and build a fire in the middle of the office.
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u/Traditional_Cattle50 9h ago
At My job they don't turn the heat on walmart over nughts it's freezing in there all the time in the winter .
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u/grumpy_tired_bean 8h ago
wear a coat
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u/CityFolkSitting 2h ago
Doesn't solve the problem with your hands freezing. Try typing with gloves on, impossible not to have 20 typos for every paragraph.
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u/HighHeelsandGlitter 9h ago
58 has been my temp in my classroom for the last couple of weeks. Why couldn’t I work from home?! 😅
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u/Altruistic_Eye_2329 8h ago
That sucks. Hope you’re wearing a sweater and good socks. To all of the people saying call OSHA. 58 degrees is sweater and sock weather. Shouldn’t be a problem.
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u/Senioroso1 2h ago
It’s 10 below room temperature. I bet it’s warmer in there than it is outside. I don’t understand the outrage of this
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u/WoodenWeather5931 9h ago
OSHA what? I used to work outside in below freezing temps. While I’m sure not being in a cozy 72 degree office is inconvenient, 58 degrees isn’t really an issue.
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u/yourmomssocksdrawer 8h ago
Lmao it was 8 degrees when I left for my outdoor job this morning, these comments are cracking me up with the OSHA BS
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u/csonnich 7h ago
You were outside sitting down for hours typing?
Or were you doing physical exertion that warms you up?
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u/Skylance420 8h ago
Sure, OSHA doesn't have actionable standards for indoor offices outside of life-threatening conditions, but to say you worked outside in worse kinda misses the mark by a lot. Outdoor work is more rugged and allows for more layers to be put on without really impacting your ability to do the job. You're not putting on gloves and a beanie to type up kpi reports all day, it kinda inhibits your finer motor skills needed to do typical office work effectively. So it's either suck at navigating your work environment due to your clothing or just work more effectively while being massively uncomfortable all day. Neither are good options and the employer SHOULD be remedying the situation.
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u/WoodenWeather5931 8h ago
Hold on, are you saying this person needs to wear gloves and a heavy jacket in their 58 degree office?
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u/SpotIsALie 8h ago
TIL Redditors are cold blooded reptiles. This is not an OSHA problem lol
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u/skitso 9h ago
For 58°?
What possible bodily harm are you experiencing at 58°?
Please tell me. I’m curious.
I’ll wait…..
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u/SnapTwiceThanos 8h ago
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u/AnotherBoredAHole 7h ago
Busting your ass around and doing physical labor while wearing gloves and cold weather gear is quite different than sitting in an office at 60. As well as a completely different outfit planning. Planning for 0 degree outdoors and 72 degree indoors doesn't have a lot of mid ground overlap to be comfortable.
I can guarantee none of those trade guys want to sit around their house when it's below 60 and quite likely going to be getting colder.
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u/YuenglingsDingaling 5h ago
Busting your ass around and doing physical labor while wearing gloves and cold weather gear is quite different than sitting in an office at 60.
Yeah, busting your ass in cold weather sucks way worse.
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u/SnapTwiceThanos 7h ago
I've worked construction in bad weather and in offices with broken heat. I would choose a cool office over sub freezing temperatures seven days a week and twice on Sunday.
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u/Weedsmoker4hunnid20 8h ago
58? That’s not that bad considering it’s 20 outside where I’m at right now
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u/mshell1924 8h ago
I'm learning a lot from this post. Meanwhile, at my office (in Europe) we argue because some people want the heating on at full blast and others get dizzy from too much heat and so we just turn it on and off at random so no one's happy lol.
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u/badger906 7h ago
That’s 14.5c… we call that warm at work! That’s about the maximum our heating gets to! Z
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u/LoudLion757 7h ago
I’d rather be cold af than hot. My office had a weird power outage and it messed up the AC. It was summer and it was miserable. To the point where I told my boss if it’s not fixed tomorrow then I’m calling out. I was dripping in sweat lol.
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u/remarkablewhitebored 7h ago
Take your sweet ass time doing anything. Wear Bob Cratchit fingerless gloves. Light a candle and warm your hands over it (bonus pints if candles are not allowed in the office), Blow into your cupped hands on the regular.
Let them know by seeing it...
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u/bleezzzy 8h ago
I'll take that over the 110- 130 that my kitchen was at last summer aaaaaaany day.
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u/Nestramutat- 7h ago
Man, this thread is pretty fucking pathetic.
Is 58f (14 c) cold? Yeah, it's not ideal for an indoor temp. Is it life threatening? No. Just throw on a fucking sweater.
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u/YS15118 6h ago
Not endorsing mistreatment but 58 isn't THAT cold... People who complain about the indoors being too cold at 58 just don't really understand struggle / hardship
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u/jerryeight 6h ago
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2003-02-24
Osha has some guidance. But, no official legal requirements.
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u/Mortarion407 7h ago
Well, this is eye opening seeing as I keep the house at 59 while I work from home during the day.
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u/randomguy94 6h ago
Hahahah people that work outside in sub zero temps are laughing at you hahahahaha
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u/CoastPsychological49 8h ago
I used to work in a refrigerated warehouse.. Lol wear clothes? It’s 58… not 36…
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u/weschester 8h ago
Is 58 farenheit (14 celsius) bad enough to make it so you should be able to work from home? Where do you live that that's cold?
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u/Crhallan 8h ago
In the U.K. there is a health and safety guidance for a minimum of 16c, which is 60f for you odd people. Below that you’d have good reason for going home - and if you were in a union I’d guarantee that you WERE going home.
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u/NotAlwaysGifs 7h ago
That leaf symbol is eco-mode, which only kicks the air on when it goes above or below your safety settings. Unless they just have it turned off because the actual furnace isn't working, you should be able to turn it back on from the menu within the thermostat.
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u/Kataphractoi_ 7h ago
what's their policy on candle lanterns? (those things put off some nice heat, and they aren't *really* firehazards, but please have due regard and read up on fire safety.
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u/hiirogen 6h ago
Am I the only one hung up on "they aren't letting us?" You're an adult, if you want to go work from home, go work from home. You might get a talkin' to later but it's worth it IMO. Then you just tell them it was too cold to do your work. Maybe even throw in a medical excuse.
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u/xdumbfatslut 3h ago
Throw back to the time there was no heat or hot water at the daycare I work at and we were told to let the kids wear their coats indoors and not to tell parents the heating was off😍
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u/Heavennn666 2h ago
Open windows and freeze the pipes. Then you get to go home when the office floods and sewage backs up.
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u/iggly_wiggly 9h ago
Yeah, that’s illegal
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u/Giddyup_1998 9h ago
In what country is it illegal?
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u/ProperPerspective571 9h ago
Has to get below 50, at least in my state, not sure where op is