Adverse Weather Conditions

Empire HR has been inundated with requests for help from businesses throughout the North East following the recent winter weather.

The leading employment law and HR company has seen enquires relating to the poor weather soar, with many businesses finding that it difficult to cope in the face of worsening conditions.

Steve Cook, CEO of Empire HR explains: “The winter weather has caused serious problems for businesses throughout the UK this month, largely caused by the difficulties experienced by commuters. Coupled with school closures, the weather has led to absence levels soaring. Hopefully, we are over the worst, but it is worrying that the weather continues to cause such disruption to businesses during these difficult economic times.”

As the poor weather continues, how can businesses ensure they are able to cope during periods of extreme weather?

Although it may be impossible to avoid the entire impact of severe weather, it’s likely that taking a few simple steps could make a real difference. Therefore, the Empire HR team has been advising businesses on steps they can take to reduce disruption and how to deal with staff absences caused by the weather.

• Identifying key roles within the business means you can anticipate which roles absolutely must be covered if the weather is so severe that the person who normally carries out the role is unable to get to the office. This will lead on to considering how the role can be carried out in their absence. This is key to drafting a contingency plan to cover all emergency situations. Knowing that the essential staff are trained and aware of what they need to do in this sort of situation is invaluable.

• It is worth considering whether employees who cannot get into the office could work from home for a day or two. This could actually turn out to be a great opportunity to get some paper work or admin out of the way. This arrangement will be beneficial to both parties and avoid a wasted day.

• Alternatively, this could be an opportunity to reap the benefits of a flexible working scheme. If an employee cannot get into the office, could they make up the hours over the next couple of weeks. Sitting down with the relevant employee and coming to an arrangement about making up the hours is likely to have the added benefit of building a good relationship with the employee since both parties will ultimately get what they want.

• Those with children are obviously likely to be affected by school closures. This is a difficult situation since parents will need to sort out alternative childcare arrangements at very short notice, or even stay at home themselves. This is compounded by the last minute nature of the closures since parents may only discover the school is closed once they have arrived at the gates. Careful consideration should be given to this situation with regards to how the employee’s family needs can be accommodated. Alternative working arrangements such as working from home can be invaluable, or perhaps they could take the day off as annual leave.

• Health and safety factors will also need to be taken into account. Will the car park present a risk of slipping and falling over? If it is a private car park, arrangements will need to be made to clear the snow and grit the area. If you have employees with mobility issues or pregnant employees, it would be prudent to reserve spaces close to the building entrance for them. If your employees have managed to get into the office, are you sure that they will be able to get home? If the snow is falling heavily and you know your employees have a long drive home, it would be sensible to allow them to leave earlier than normal so that they can miss the rush hour gridlock.

• A pressing concern for both employers and employees is pay. Should an employee expect to be paid for an absence caused by severe weather? There is no legislation stipulating this. Many businesses never pay an employee if they are absent for this reason. However, some choose to do so in the interests of maintaining good employee relations and as a considerate gesture. When considering the issue of pay, it is essential to note that if a contract or handbook states that these absences will be paid, this should be adhered to. In addition, if these absences have been paid in the past a precedent may have been set. If you are unsure of whether or not to pay employees who have not made it into the office, it is well worth considering seeking advice on the issue.

• It can be difficult if it is suspected that an employee is taking advantage of the weather to simply get an extra day off work. A return to work interview or investigation meeting can help ascertain the true circumstances surrounding an absence. Of course, regardless of the reason, all employees can be expected to follow the standard absence reporting procedures. A failure to do so, and/or misuse of the system can ultimately be dealt with through the disciplinary procedure.

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