Should Offices Relax the Dress Code During a Heatwave?
Yes, and the science backs you up. Heat stress is real and as climate change continues according to the WHO this is something employers have to factor in.
Back to the office in a heatwave
I’ve been speaking to people who’ve been spending more time in the office lately and it seems that the return-to-office debate may finally have found its winning argument. Temperature control.
Let’s set the scene: it’s 35°C outside, and the pavements are hot enough to fry an egg. You’ve come to the office for the AC which is making the same level of noise as a vacuum cleaner. Dave from Accounts and Audrey from HR are still in full business attire “because standards matter.” Both think they are company heroes, but according to research, they are a workplace safety hazard.
Sweating through a blazer isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s measurably bad for you… and your work. A Harvard/George Washington University study found that extreme heat substantially increases the risk of all types of workplace injuries, from slips and falls to equipment accidents to musculoskeletal injuries, across nearly every industry, including indoor workplaces. Even moderately warm days aren’t off the hook: injury rates rise across all heat levels, meaning even 85–95°F days generate additional workers’ comp claims.
Heat Stress
And it’s not just clumsiness. UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs study found that workers in both indoor and outdoor settings are between 5% and 45% more likely to have a significant injury or accident on a day in the high 80s Fahrenheit (28C-32C) or above. That’s a wide range, sure, but even the low end should make HR nervous about mandatory blazers in July.
There’s also a brain-fog factor. Even mild heat stress makes workers slower to react and prone to more errors, often without realizing their own performance has slipped. So that email Dave sent to “all staff” amy not be entirely his fault. Blame the tie.
Drop in productivity
Zoom out and the numbers get genuinely startling. The International Labour Organization estimates 2.4 billion workers were exposed to excessive heat on the job in 2020 alone, with heat responsible for 19,000 deaths, 23 million injuries, and $361 billion in lost productivity worldwide. One review even pegs productivity as dropping 2–3% for every degree above 20°C because of heat stress. Suddenly “casual Friday, but every day this week” sounds less like a slippery slope and more like a productivity strategy.
Common sense
Now, the counter-argument deserves a fair hearing: dress codes exist for reasons beyond vanity, client-facing roles, professional norms, and a sense of collective standards that some argue erode fast once “just this once” becomes “just always.” There’s also the slippery-slope worry that “relaxed for the heatwave” quietly becomes “relaxed forever,” and some managers feel unstructured dress codes create ambiguity that’s harder to police fairly than a clear one. But we all know that executive presence is about much more than a business suit especially one sticking like a second skin to your body.
But here’s a modest proposal: nobody’s asking Dave and Audrey to show up in flip-flops and a tank top. Just… leave the tie and collared blouse in the wardrobe for a week. And for heaven’s sake ditch the blazer. Let people wear breathable fabrics without side-eye. The data suggests it’s not really an issue for the fashion police, it’s a safety and productivity one wearing a fashion costume.
Professional doesn’t have to mean overheating. Surely lightweight fabrics, smart shorts where appropriate, open-toed shoes and a little common sense aren’t going to bring civilisation to an end. Most clients and colleagues would probably prefer someone who’s cool, comfortable and productive over someone slowly melting in a jacket because “that’s the policy.”
