Will the dress code at the office soften with the heat waves?

• Your perspiration attests to it, your armpits confirm it, it's very hot.

• However, some employees are still forced to come to work in heavy clothing that is unsuitable for current temperatures.

• Will companies be forced to offer more clothing freedom with increasingly frequent heat episodes?

“Tomorrow, from the heat wave, at a time when the countryside

It will not have escaped you, this week, it is hot.

But kind very chauuuuud.

Put more scientifically, France is experiencing a very early heat plume, with several peaks over 35 ° C this Thursday.

It is therefore left to be roasted by the sun in the way of cooking escalope.

And chalice to the dregs: all while working!

Because in addition to multiplying and becoming more and more frequent, heat waves come earlier and earlier in France.

Far from the months of July and August, when a good part of the French are on vacation and can count on the freshness of the beach and mojitos, the thermometer is now climbing in a country at work.

With these panicking temperatures, isn't it time to adapt the business world and its sometimes ruthless dress code a little more?

Will we still have to wear suits to the office when we could cook a fried egg on the asphalt?

The clothing revolution certainly did not wait for the heat to start.

According to a 2021 study by IWG, a firm specializing in flexible workspaces, 59% of respondents say the days of formal dress were over, 55% say they work better when they dress the way they want , and 64% of employees today want to opt for comfortable clothes in the office.

So with these repeated heat waves, here may be the opportunity to definitely drive the point home and free yourself from any shackles.

Supporters of shorts, tank tops,

Free outfits, but not too much

A brief legislative reminder with Anne-Lise Castell, jurist at Tissot Editions and specialist in

labor law: basic, in the office, you are free to dress as you wish.

Two exceptions remain: the employer can impose work clothes for health or safety reasons, such as hospital gowns or worksite equipment.

In this case, it is the opposite of the effect hoped for in this paper, namely that "the employer must ensure that employees wear the appropriate clothing and do not swap their personal protective equipment - shoes safety, helmets, protective clothing – against flip flops, shorts, hats or caps”, attests the lawyer.

Second case, the employer can impose an outfit to promote the image of the company.

“While it seems justified to impose rules of dress – even a uniform – on employees in contact with customers or salespeople, the debate is much less clear-cut for employees who work in offices and do not meet customers”, continues Anne-Lise Castell.

To this first vagueness is added a second.

If technically, the outfit is free, “a decent outfit may be required, for example no swimsuit”, specifies the lawyer.

So of course, we did not intend to go to work like to the swimming pool, preferring to keep our underwear-pajamas outfits for the joys of teleworking.

But if our employer finds that bermuda shorts or short sleeves are not really decent, we are again sweating.

Adaptation

This is where the frequencies of heat waves could change the situation.

Not that the government is going to make shortys compulsory in the workplace, as wearing a mask used to be.

"The employer is in control of the organization of his company, we cannot impose a dress code on him", recalls Sandra Gallissote, former lawyer in labor law and now specialist in justice in social management and labor mediator for the region. Paca.

In the Labor Code, "there is no specified temperature according to which the company must adapt".

But don't cry too quickly while putting on your warm jeans and your jacket, because “there is a general obligation of the employer in terms of safety.

He must assess the risks and take the necessary support measures, ”says the lawyer.

And you don't need to have obtained a doctorate in medicine to know that high heat carries risks.

In this specific case, "the dress code may have to be relaxed, in order to preserve the health of employees" confirms the expert.

Above 33 ° C, the National Institute for Research and Safety considers that the work presents dangers for employees, indicates Anne-Lise Castell.

Generally, the adaptations concern more schedules and break times.

Do not despair either if your employer does not grant you the right to show your calves this Thursday.

“As part of a heatwave red alert, the company must reassess the risks every day,” notes Sandra Gallissote.

You can therefore try again on Friday, or during future heat waves.

According to Météo-France, they should double by 2050. Enough to give your clothing forcing time to pass.

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