Marvin OnumonuHealth and safety experts at Protecting.co.uk said UK law does not set a strict minimum workplace temperature, but employers must provide a “reasonable” working environment.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advised that indoor workplaces should normally be at least 16°C, or 13°C for jobs involving physical work.
Research found cold office environments are linked to reduced concentration, slower task completion and more mistakes.
Cold workplaces can also worsen health conditions, increase muscle stiffness, and lead to higher sickness absence in winter.
Protecting.co.uk advised employers to check heating systems, allow flexible dress codes, offer extra breaks if needed, monitor complaints and review risk assessments.
Mark Hall, expert at Protecting.co.uk, said: “Cold workplaces have other effects on us than simply being cold.
“One of the biggest problems we see in winter is that temperature issues are often treated as subjective complaints rather than a health and safety risk.
“If multiple employees are raising concerns about cold temperatures, then that is usually a sign of a wider issue, such as uneven heating, poor insulation, or outdated building systems.”
Hall added: “In offices, cold spots near windows or poorly heated meeting rooms are particularly common, and these are often overlooked in standard risk assessments.
“There is also a misconception that providing heating alone is enough.
“Employers should be thinking more broadly about how cold conditions affect behaviour and productivity, from staff taking more breaks to move around, to increased mistakes in routine tasks.”
He said: “Simple measures such as reviewing the heating schedule, risk assessments and allowing flexibility in dress codes during Winter can make a meaningful difference.
“Addressing these issues early not only helps protect employee wellbeing, but helps prevent complaints escalating into more formal measures.”
