Businesses lose millions as productivity wilts in UK heatwave

UK employers lost an estimated £168m a day in productivity during last week’s heatwave, according to a report.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) estimated that work levels dropped by almost a third when temperatures soared to more than 30 degrees Celsius last week.

CEBR economist Jaspreet Sehmi said: “At the end of the day, work productivity is the most important thing to the economy, and when it’s hot, people are less productive.”

Reduced productivity cost an estimated £154m and an additional £3.9m was lost from travel disruptions and staff arriving late.

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Occupational health provider Active Health Partners (AHP) also estimated that UK businesses lost £119m through absenteeism when temperatures topped 35 degrees last Wednesday.