If you're currently cradling a steaming hot cup of coffee and already dreading your commute home due to 'The Beast From The East', you'll be happy to know that you actually don't have to go to work when the weather is bad.

And no, we're not trying to start an office mutiny or get you fired, but letting you into a little unknown secret that you can get time off work if a snowstorm - like the one called Emma we're now expecting - is bad enough.

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Better yet, if offices are forced to close due to bad weather, employees will still receive pay for the time they spend home. And even if an office stays open but your children's school closes due to the weather conditions, you still legally have the right to time off.

Now is about the time when you start inventing a back story to that secret child you just didn't tell anyone about in work ('What do you mean I never told you about my five-year-old son, Bert?...').

So, how is this all possible?

Well, there's no law outlining the exact temperature of the office environment but under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, your work place has a legal obligation to provide a 'reasonable' temperature in the workplace.

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The Approved Code of Practice suggests the minimum temperature in a workplace should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius and, if the work involves rigorous physical effort, it should be at least 13 degrees Celsius.

And while we all laugh and joke about the office thermostat, 'thermal comfort '- a person's state of mind when it comes to feeling too hot or too cold - is incredibly important to an employee's well-being.

Thermal comfort isn't measured by room temperature FYI, but by the number of employees complaining of thermal discomfort.

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By improving thermal comfort, an employer is more likely to improve morale and productivity, as well as health and safety for their office.

However, people who complain of their work environments being too hot or cold are more likely to behave unsafely because their ability to make decisions, concentrate, and/or perform manual tasks deteriorates.

So, there you have it - gather your colleagues and start making subtle hints that your thermal comfort is in jeopardy.

Hello, snow day in bed!

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.