Paperstone – Office life, work and fun

Work and Weather Disruption – What You Need To Know

By Paperstone on December 22, 2014 in Office Workers

Bicycle in snowy weather

Negotiating a bit of snow on the way to work is all part of the festive fun at this time of year.

But think ahead to make sure the chill doesn’t spread to relationships between managers and staff.

Weather disruption can make it hard for staff to get to work on time, or they may not make it at all. It’s good practice for managers to outline company policy relating to absence due to extreme conditions, before the bad weather sets in. If your boss hasn’t explained the rules, you can ask him or her.

Under UK law, there is no automatic right to be paid if you can’t get to work, but most employers will try to find a reasonable solution, such as flexible working arrangements.

You shouldn’t be expected to risk your safety to get to work, so one solution might be to work from home for the duration of the bad weather (with permission of course).

Parents have the right to time off if their children are affected by school closures and childcare cannot be found, or if there is an unexpected disruption to childcare arrangements. This is not an entitlement to pay, however, and workplace policies vary. Whatever the ruling, it should be applied without favouritism, or there may be grounds for complaint.

Employers should keep an eye on weather warnings and let staff leave early to avoid treacherous road conditions. With a little give and take, work relationships can be warm and friendly even when the weather isn’t!

 

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