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Question of the month

January 2012

What do I do when staff can’t get to work due to bad weather conditions?

You need to decide your policy on this tricky question before it happens. We all know that UK winter months can bring periods of chaos if we get heavy snow fall, so being prepared and telling staff what your position is before the event is helpful. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and make contingency plans.

Basically, you can use your discretion. If you know you have staff who will struggle to get to work, plan ahead. Is there work they can do from home? Can you arrange short notice cover for that person?

It is entirely up to you whether unworked days during periods of bad weather are paid or unpaid, or staff should use their holiday entitlement. However, you should use caution when staff cannot attend work due to childcare issues. Your policy in this case must ensure these members of staff are not disadvantaged in respect of their colleagues. Emergency time off like this does not have to be paid, but if you are not paying this time off and you pay someone else without children who couldn’t get to work, you could have a discrimination case on your hands.

If you think you may need help defining a bad weather policy, please call (0115) 972 8708.

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