heatwave? Suck it up buttercup!

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

After a while you get used to it. Being that its does this every summer for like 4 months everywhere has AC here which helps. I, however work on expo halls and venues which don't really run the AC when the loading bays are open on load in and its is compounded by a room full of hot ass lights. All you can do is cover your skin when in the sun...tint windows and drink water.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

We are really behind the curve in Europe vis-à-vis aircons.

We've got them in supermarkets, banks, libraries, and so on. But of course where I work, no aircons. And 12 hour shifts.

Fortunately, I'm off till next weekend.

It sounds like you work for bums. Your health comes first.

Phone in sick.

a reply to: visitedbythem

they keep working in that heat? wow...

that pool looks really good right now! lol
enjoy

originally posted by: putnam6
We didn't have AC till I was 14, my brother and I ran a fan in our room constantly year round, used to wet a washcloth squeeze it out where it wasn't dripping, and clip it with a clothespin or 2 on the front of the fan and pretended it made a difference.

LOL Ive done a spray bottle with ice water and sleep on a towel it gets so hot and humid here in the summers too. But we never had a construction worker vacation?

The media is giving tips on how to stay cool, and hanging a wet towel in front of a fan is one of them. They say it helps to cool off the air

construction leave is a real thing over here... three weeks in July, every building project is on hold

originally posted by: ancientlight
a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Could you get ceiling fans installed ? You could just have them on all day, makes a ton of difference

normally we have a ventilating system that cools the air a bit, but it's been turned off because of the construction work

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa

Generally, once it hits 40 degrees a fan is all but pretty much useless anyway, unless you just want a lot of hot air blown directly in your face… lol.

But actually just thinking about it, you Europeans should have the advantage in extremely hot weather, simply because your homes are so damn insulated due to all that cold weather.

I imagine you all have thick curtains to keep that cold out, yeah?

So just keep them curtains closed and the fans going long before the sun comes out and you should be right until at least late afternoon.

I’m on the other side of the hemisphere dealing with the midst of brutally cold weather atm… I work night shift to so I get the worst of it.

I’ll tell you what though, I’d happily trade a 40 degree day for a 3 degree night.

Anything below 5 degrees is just simply inhumane… imo.

lol, I think you're right, we deal with cold weather much better then with heat in NW Europe. 3C is not that cold.
Most houses here are so isolated that you cant get a radio signal indoors.
My home is not a problem, only the workplace, it's not isolated at all.

And curtains here are mainly for decoration.
don't you have blinds on the outside of your windows?

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

I'm sorry to hear about your suffering, KindraLabelle2. Also, about the anxiety you are feeling over your job and the Ukranian workmen you feel you would get in trouble by acting in your and your colleagues best interest.

For the heat, you've had many excellent suggestions. A damp towel over a fan surely helps. Also, I've seen fans that have a water reservoir and create a very fine mist just in front of the fan. I've seen them in front of bars, etc. The beauty is that they don't make the pavement wet and customers get a refreshing spray that doesn't drench them. The downside, they are expensive... 100 to 200 Euros. They also work well indoors.

As to the Ukranians, I'm no expert on Dutch laws, but it could be that the statutory vacation and closure of building sites is simply a Union thing. Perhaps builders can keep the sites open all year round if they have a minimum workforce. If the Ukrainians have only recently arrived, they may be treated as private contractors and not be restricted by Union rules. In other words, it may all be perfectly legal. It would be difficult for a building site to remain active if it were illegal... I would think that the authorities would notice.

Try contacting a local employment agency or a Union office directly and pose the question, remaining anonymous and not giving specific details.

In the end, the law is on your side. If some accident were to happen because of the extreme heat, you would have a strong case to be compensated, keep your job, etc. Here in Italy, there are specific tribunals for worker disputes and in 90% of the cases I've seen, the worker always wins. I would think that in Holland there are similar safeguards.

Take care, drink much water (not too cold, tempting as it is) and see if you can find one of those vaporising fans on the cheap.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

It is hot here too. It has been in the 100’s for days now. Last week we had a 109F day. We are used to it though and pretty much everyone has an air conditioner. Im sorry you are being made to work in those conditions; that is inhumane.

Maybe the district manager could be called down to your office/store for an emergency he has to see or deal with during the heat of the day next week? Have him deal with the “emergency” then the other employees can come around and keep him busy with questions or whatnot until he is a hot sweaty mess and can feel it first hand.

I live in the woods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is cooler among the hundred foot pine and hardwood trees surrounding the yard. We are between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior....Lake Superior is the coldest it has been in twenty five years for this time of the year. We do not need air conditioning...well, it would be nice about five days a year I suppose but it is not worth buying it and paying higher power bills...if we spent money we would want to justify the purchase of it and would use it way more than necessary.

It was eighty four degrees in town today near the roads but it was only around seventy five degrees at our house. Trees make a world of difference, I am glad I did not cut anymore down when I built the house.

In mid August when things get drier, it does get warmer here, trees without water don't cool the air as good.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Having a damp neck scarf on sure can help keep you cooler, especially if there's a breeze or fan blowing. Having your hair wet also helps, but not all hair styles can accommodate that tactic.

Our heads and our feet play a big part in regulating body temps, so even putting your feet in a pan of cool water when at home can help cool you off. A spray bottle with a fine mist works wonders, especially if you're in front of a fan when you spritz your face and neck. These thing will keep your body temp down and help prevent heat exhaustion.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

So you are going to break from heat, in order for the ventilation not to break from dust. Turn it on, Fu*& them.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

but I will probably loose my job if I did... even though they can't fire me for it, they will find another reason!

Thank you for sharing that.

It is one of the dirty secrets of the EU. They -can- "get you", one way or the other.

Another no-no is crossing the union. They'll "get you" as well, with the help of corrupt management.

I have the impression that many who don't live in the EU don't grasp that daily life isn't about wandering from one café to the next. From what I saw of the situation of workers, they had neither much upward mobility nor any say in how the workplace operated. It may not be awful, but paradise it is not.

Cheers

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Regarding the fans pushing hot air, you may wish to keep a bowl of water at your desk and rub the water on your arms and face. A wet surface will cool off something like 25 times faster than a dry surface.

And yes, STAY HYDRATED.

Cheers

originally posted by: Encia22
a reply to: KindraLabelle2

I'm sorry to hear about your suffering, KindraLabelle2. Also, about the anxiety you are feeling over your job and the Ukranian workmen you feel you would get in trouble by acting in your and your colleagues best interest.

For the heat, you've had many excellent suggestions. A damp towel over a fan surely helps. Also, I've seen fans that have a water reservoir and create a very fine mist just in front of the fan. I've seen them in front of bars, etc. The beauty is that they don't make the pavement wet and customers get a refreshing spray that doesn't drench them. The downside, they are expensive... 100 to 200 Euros. They also work well indoors.

As to the Ukranians, I'm no expert on Dutch laws, but it could be that the statutory vacation and closure of building sites is simply a Union thing. Perhaps builders can keep the sites open all year round if they have a minimum workforce. If the Ukrainians have only recently arrived, they may be treated as private contractors and not be restricted by Union rules. In other words, it may all be perfectly legal. It would be difficult for a building site to remain active if it were illegal... I would think that the authorities would notice.

Try contacting a local employment agency or a Union office directly and pose the question, remaining anonymous and not giving specific details.

In the end, the law is on your side. If some accident were to happen because of the extreme heat, you would have a strong case to be compensated, keep your job, etc. Here in Italy, there are specific tribunals for worker disputes and in 90% of the cases I've seen, the worker always wins. I would think that in Holland there are similar safeguards.

Take care, drink much water (not too cold, tempting as it is) and see if you can find one of those vaporising fans on the cheap.

It could be that the Ukrainians are working there legally for a sub-contractor, but it's not legal to have them work on the roof during a heatwave. I'm in Belgium btw, at 2 km from the border with The Netherlands. I've seen it a lot around here, workers from Eastern Europe who come here to work for low pay and in bad conditions. They won't complain and keep on working because they think things are 'good' here. It's impossible to communicate with them. My husband keeps telling me to mind my own business and to leave it alone.

My work situation and how we came to work for this company is a bit complicated, it's not a standard contract and the deals that we made with them are not all on paper, but so far both sides have respected them. I'm not going to do anything that could make us loose the store. It's not only me, but my husband as well as he works for them to. It's just been difficult the last months with all the construction going on around us but most of it should be finished in two months. After that we will reap the fruits of being located at a new and modern site (except our own building)

The next few days we'll just have to find a way to make it work. We have normal fans (going to try the trick with the wet towels), we have a couple of air coolers (not sure if they will make much of a difference). Drink plenty, light meals, stay inside, etc...

This all makes me wonder, how far will things have to go before money is not a priority anymore? Because this extreme weather won't be the last we've seen. Lot's of people on this thread say ' F them, stay home', but in reality no one is doing that.

originally posted by: Onlyyouknow
a reply to: KindraLabelle2

It is hot here too. It has been in the 100’s for days now. Last week we had a 109F day. We are used to it though and pretty much everyone has an air conditioner. Im sorry you are being made to work in those conditions; that is inhumane.

Maybe the district manager could be called down to your office/store for an emergency he has to see or deal with during the heat of the day next week? Have him deal with the “emergency” then the other employees can come around and keep him busy with questions or whatnot until he is a hot sweaty mess and can feel it first hand.

The district manager sent out a mail last Friday, saying that he will be in meetings, all day, from Monday till Wednesday and is unavailable. He's an a$$....

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2

Thank you for sharing that.

It is one of the dirty secrets of the EU. They -can- "get you", one way or the other.

Another no-no is crossing the union. They'll "get you" as well, with the help of corrupt management.

I have the impression that many who don't live in the EU don't grasp that daily life isn't about wandering from one café to the next. From what I saw of the situation of workers, they had neither much upward mobility nor any say in how the workplace operated. It may not be awful, but paradise it is not.

Cheers

It depends a lot on the sector you work in.
In W-Europe they want everyone to get a job and work, but most jobs pay pretty good. The guys that collect the trashcans each weak earn almost 3 times what I earn, it's a dirty job but they love their paycheck. Same for factory workers, especially if you come with unique skills. Retail is considered the worst sector to work in, with lowest pay rates. But, in every company there is a clear hierarchy and as a 'worker bee' you just do as your told, nothing more, nothing less. I thought it was like that all around the world....

Thanks for the tips on wet surfaces, I'll try it!

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

re: 'worker bee', it depends on the job. Some jobs require and reward initiative (appropriately exercised).

What I've seen in Germany was a sort of forced 'culture of being content' among workers and those who dare to raise questions get one chance to settle down before they face ostracization, forced change of work location, and so on. I was very unimpressed with the way the unions and low level management worked hand in hand to keep the workers down. The days when German unions had a lot of say and actually supported the workers, in that sector at least, were long gone. Not to mention the "management skills" of the lower level bosses was essentially nonexistent.

Cheers

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Ok, sorry, I didn't realise you were in Belgium.

It sounds like your work situation is more complicated than I thought. The heatwave won't last all summer; this is an anomaly that will soon pass. So, as you say, best to just work around the heat issues and hope for the best.

All the best to you and your husband.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2
I think you'll find with the very hot weather that you wont get many customers. If you work in a supermarket get your chair and put it straight in front of the freezer section and keep the doors open. get a low chair as cold settles lower. You didn't say what sort of store you work in.

I'm in the UK and surprised that the water authorities have not slapped a hosepipe ban on us yet. Though they have said to try and conserve water. I have just today started to fill up our 12 foot pool up, if you lived closer you could come and take a dip.

a little update, it's 10.20 am here, temps are starting to go up.

at work the delivery trucks came early so the truck drivers could finish up before noon. Same for tomorrow, so I'll be going in at 6am, receive the goods, air the place out and try to have it cooled before the store opens. Then I come home.

Unexpected turn of events: my husband called the area manager early this morning, he said THIS is how it is going to be: she's not working afternoons! And the area manager just said "ok"....
So I'm just going early mornings, and again later tonight to try and air the place out a bit. My husband is going during the day but he says the moment it becomes to much he will close up.

The mayor of our town posted on all social media that most of the shops will hold a siesta during the heatwave, the way they do it in Spain, so they'll all close up in the afternoon and open a few hours at nigh.
perfect solution! One I didn't expect them to even consider