One of the inherent problems of taking action to tackle climate change is often the uncertain nature of the impacts, with reports so full of predictions, projections, estimates and margins of error that it can become hard for business executives to confidently know what to expect.But for those experiencing Britain's mini-heatwave today, climate change impacts will today feel a little closer to home and not just because it is too hot in the office to concentrate properly. The hottest week of the year so far in the UK coincides with the launch of a paper showing how financial losses from extreme heat related to climate change are already being felt today.
I've seen lots of articles doing the rounds about how to maximise employee productivity during heat waves such as the one we are currently experiencing.
Whilst climate change may mean hotter weather for the UK may become more of a regular thing, it is ultimately still quite rare!
So instead of panicking about a huge drop in productivity over the next few days (which is fairly inevitable) why not focus on employee engagement instead? Keeping your employees happy during hot weather could be as simple as letting everyone leave 15 minutes early, buying ice-lollies for the office and accepting that people are going to slow down a bit - we are human after all! Whilst i'm not advocating that all work should be shunned (clearly important dealings will still need to be met) but it's about not sweating the small stuff! It won't last long and before you know it a blast of cold, wet weather will get productivity levels back to normal - so enjoy it while it lasts!
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