Heat wave: what are your rights at work?

The meteorological summer has well and truly begun. Since Tuesday June 14, 2022, several French departments have been affected by a heat wave alert. On the program: “temperatures 5 to 18°C ​​higher than average, often between 20°C at night and more than 35°C during the day”, indicates La Chaîne Météo.

“Early heat waves” are particularly rare in France. This kind of phenomenon was particularly rare throughout the 20th century. But since the 2000s, they have multiplied. Here is the list of previous episodes of this type:

Faced with this high heat, the health authorities are calling on the population to stay cool and to hydrate regularly.

In these periods of high heat, your outfits may be lighter than usual, which can annoy your employers. Other than for health and safety reasons, they cannot impose a dress code on you.

If you do not feel like going to your place of work because of the heat, you can completely negotiate to work from home.

In some cases, it is even possible to exercise your right of withdrawal. When the employee considers that he “is in serious and imminent danger to his health” because of the heat, as Latest News from Alsace explains, he can leave his post.

So that he is not penalized, he must warn his employer upstream, preferably in writing. “Except in the event of manifest abuse, the latter is then required to pay him”, specifies the regional daily.