Does your company have a bad weather policy?

[timwilky]

Mine has just published this:-

I think the HR people are still full of christmas good cheer as it seems to be reasonable.

Originally Posted by My boss's

UK Bad Weather And Extreme Travel Disruption Policy

1Definitions

Bad weather: As advised by weather forecasts as unsafe to travel and serious travel difficulties.
Extreme travel disruption: Where major disruption of the travel system occurs caused by an unusual event which results in large numbers of employees suffering significant delays in travelling to work.
Walking distance: This will vary depending on personal fitness. However for a normal fit adult a distance of a couple of miles (up to 1/2 hour) would be considered reasonable.
This policy is applicable to ******** UK employees only.


2Policy

This policy recognises that the disruption caused by the travel difficulties is neither the fault of the employee or the company. Thus, it aims to mitigate the business loss and loss to the employees in as fair a way as possible.
In considering whether to attempt to get to work the employee must consider their own safety using any available information sources and official recommendations broadcast on news and information media as well as local conditions. The company recognises that different people have different physical abilities and different journeys to work and will make appropriate allowances for this. The company also recognises that the risk involved in a long journey that must involve minor roads will be higher than a short trip across an urban area.
In the case of bad weather (or other travel disruption) and in the event an individual cannot, or should not, attempt to travel to work or is late arriving at work the following should apply.
2.1Employee does not attend work

In the event of someone living outside reasonable walking distance to work or who has a disability which prevents them from so doing (which has been declared to the medical unit) then the following is allowed: -
In all cases it is expected that the employee will make regular attempts to contact their manager to explain the situation. This is expected partly from a health and safety point of view so that the company knows that the employee is safe when they do not turn up for work as expected.
2.1.1Home Working

If the employee has the appropriate equipment with them and is it still working despite the extreme event and the employee could expect to do a reasonable amount of the days planned work then it is expected that the employee will work from home.
2.1.2Home Working not possible

If home working is not possible the following options will be available to employees.

• Annual leave. This will be automatically approved if requested providing the employee has sufficient annual leave left.
• Flexi-leave. This will be automatically approved if requested and the employee has sufficient days flexi-leave left. A temporary allowance will be made to allow the banked hours to go negative for a 4-week period if insufficient hours have been banked at the time of the incident.
• Unpaid leave.

2.2Employee is late as a result of disruption

If an employee is late as a result of the travel disruption then they have a choice of credited hours using Annual leave, Flexi-leave or unpaid leave.
In addition to the above, they have to option to make up the missing hours within one month of the event.
2.3Travelling time allowance

In periods of snow, ice, thick fog or other dangerous driving conditions an allowance of 30 minutes to normal starting and finishing times – to allow employees extra safe time to travel to work and to return home, is allowed. This is over and above the points above and outside of any flexi-time agreement in place. Time will be credited to flexi-balances.

However in these days of global recession, I would have thought they would have had more to worry about than what happens if it snows. I like the idea of allowing an extra 30 minutes for start/finish. When I was the boss I would tell my people to get up earlier or tell the wife to put the kids to bed as I will be late home etc.

However at the end of the day.

1) I work from home anyway
2) I don't have flexitime

[Mr Speirs]

How would they contact their manager to let them know they can't make it into work?
How did the manager get into work?

the old chestnut of a bit of cold weather and we grind to a halt....panic, disruption, dont travel or you'll die warnings, blah blah blah

newsflash. we have 4 seasons. 1 of them (occassionally 2) often brings bad weather. this happens annually, or sometimes every year. lets try to adapt...

How on earth did we manage in this country in the 80's when we regularly had snow?!?!

[yorkie_chris]

Eeeeeeeh I remember walking to school, 50 miles in't driiivin snow... uphill both ways...

Ours is a bit more informal. If it gets really bad, the people who live further away are allowed to leave early (sometimes as early as just after lunch). Likewise, no one says anything if people arrive a bit late. I think most businesses usually adopts a fairly sensible approach, but clamp down on it if people take the mick. Where my dad used to work they were paid a full day's pay with no reduction in leave if they didn't come in when weather was bad. A lot of people abused this and didn't come in at all as soon as there was a hint of snow/ice. Consequently they swung to the other extreme and essentially said all time they weren't in the office (including being late/leaving early) would come out of the employees leave/flexi-time.

my policy goes like this..

If I cant get to work I dont go... its life.. I cant help it neither can the company..

If Im late I make the time up...

to da...

No **** sherlock..

[Biker Biggles]

I work in the cushy public sector so it goes like this----
Late more than three times in 12 months=diciplinary hearing
Absent more than twice in 12 months=warning process starts
Further absence or more than 4 days in 12 months=diciplinary hearing.
Same applies for bad weather or any other reason apart from statutary rights for childcare,but even there,more than three "issues" a year gets a diciplinary hearing.

None of the above applies to senior managment of course

[Mr Speirs]

My workplace has a 'are you bored? you may aswell go home' policy as well as a 'the weathers good today you might as well be a home or on your bike' policy oh and the famous 'just forward the office calls to your mobile tonight and take the day off 2moro' policy

[tinpants]

I'm self -(un)employed at the moment. I'd be glad of some work to be honest.

Although if I was working and there was a heavy snowfall I'd probably try to get in as I'd have customers relying on me. Depends what I was doing though. For instance if I was felling trees then I probably wouldn't go in due to the safety angle but if I was kerb laying or concreting i would chance it.