Inclement Weather Policy

[Dichotomy]

Okay

Today I was asked for my input to the inclement weather policy at work and it's really hard to be fair because, aside from running engineering programs, I can do 95% of my job from home and generally do on off (vacation, sick leave, personal days) days but that's me (my clients are very important to me).  The rest of the employees aren't that into it and when they're 'off' they're off. 

I took issue with the 'if you can't make it to work because of road conditions you'll be docked a days pay' because not every employee can afford to drive a Lincoln Navigator with 4wd year round like the owners do. 

The challenge is it has to be something you can judge by looking at the local closings. 

So I've been mulling and the best thing I can think of is if the local JUCO is closed we should be.  I rejected regular school districts around here because they close if they see a snowflake.

Any ideas?  Particularly from actual business owners would be appreciated. 

[wil3ur]

If you can't make it into work, you can use vacation time.  If you don't have vacation time, you're SOL.

[eagl]

In the military we have triple-redundancy in our inclement wx plan.

1.  On bad wx days, check the local news to see if your location has delayed reporting or is closed for the day.
2.  On REALLY bad wx days, the wing commander will direct his staff to do a full telephone recall prior to when everyone would normally expect to leave home to drive to work (around 0630ish for normal day shift guys) and give them delayed reporting or stay home instructions.
3.  If you think you'll wreck on the way to work, stay home but call in.

Number 3 allows for judgement because the job simply isn't worth getting into an accident, getting hurt, or killed on the road.  And if they call in, someone who made it into work may have info like "hey the plows cleared the highway so after the gravel guys hit your street, come on in late".

Maybe something like this would help the boss feel ok paying guys at least a partial-day wage to stay home and not become an accident statistic, or at the very least let workers know they won't get penalized for making a smart choice and staying home when the roads are really hazardous.

I saw some really bad accidents while I was slip-sliding in to work when I didn't get the recall in time, and only my ultra conservative driving in bad WX plus some good luck kept me out of wrecks.  In every one of those situations, my boss would have been perfectly happy to get a call from me saying I'd be late or I'd be staying home.  One day I was the only guy who made it in to work after a freak snowstorm put a couple of inches over a layer of ice in a matter of 30 minutes.  I had stuff to do early so I left the house right before the recall started, and I ended up having to hang out alone at work almost all day waiting for the snow/ice to melt so I could get home.

[colmbo]

I've been in Alaska since '73, civilian since '76 and not once have I not been able to get to work due to weather.  I have been delayed getting to work due to some stupid driver/s who managed to close the highway with vehicle wreckage.  I have not always owned a 4WD vehicle either.

I can see situations where a person may not be able to make it to work -- if you have leave time you're golden.  I can see no reason for the employer to pay you if you're not there -- they don't control the weather.

[jeep00]

I've been in Alaska since '73, civilian since '76 and not once have I not been able to get to work due to weather.  I have been delayed getting to work due to some stupid driver/s who managed to close the highway with vehicle wreckage.  I have not always owned a 4WD vehicle either.

I can see situations where a person may not be able to make it to work -- if you have leave time you're golden.  I can see no reason for the employer to pay you if you're not there -- they don't control the weather.

This.

Although we are not in Alaska, we do have weather where we allow for a "difficult travel period" where you can arrive late with no penalty. As to shutting down completely due to weather, doesn't happen.

Bob

[VonMessa]

Okay

Today I was asked for my input to the inclement weather policy at work and it's really hard to be fair because, aside from running engineering programs, I can do 95% of my job from home and generally do on off (vacation, sick leave, personal days) days but that's me (my clients are very important to me).  The rest of the employees aren't that into it and when they're 'off' they're off. 

I took issue with the 'if you can't make it to work because of road conditions you'll be docked a days pay' because not every employee can afford to drive a Lincoln Navigator with 4wd year round like the owners do. 

The challenge is it has to be something you can judge by looking at the local closings. 

So I've been mulling and the best thing I can think of is if the local JUCO is closed we should be.  I rejected regular school districts around here because they close if they see a snowflake.

Any ideas?  Particularly from actual business owners would be appreciated. 

Texas has inclement weather that affects driving?

My suggestion?



Cheaper than a Navigator 

Usually, if the school buses aren't running, the boss calls. 

[Dragon]

My employer doesn't provide any bad weather days, it's show up and get paid or don't and use vacation time.

As tough as that is, the boss has sent us home early several times due to the weather getting worse (calling for another 8-10 inches of snow) or power outages that last longer than an hour.  On those days we go home but get paid for the rest of the day. (without costing us our vacation or sick time)



As Von says, you don't need a Navigator, any inexpensive all-wheel-drive will get you to work during most weather systems.  My little Jaguar loves the snow as much as that big ugly Jeep. 

[colmbo]

As Von says, you don't need a Navigator, any inexpensive all-wheel-drive will get you to work during most weather systems.  My little Jaguar loves the snow as much as that big ugly Jeep. 

It seems it is the SUVs that you see in the ditch the most often here.  People seem to think AWD will over-rule physics.

[VonMessa]

It seems it is the SUVs that you see in the ditch the most often here.  People seem to think AWD will over-rule physics.

It's definitely how, not what, you drive that has the biggest impact in most (not all) situations.

It is a shame that we are way behind on snowfall, this year 

Those are the folks that usually contribute to the beer-making supplies fund at $30 a pop.

Too much money?

No problem, the tow truck will be here in about 30-45 minutes and he will only charge you $100.

Don't forget to be polite and wave to the folks pointing and laughing while you wait 

[Shuffler]

Okay

Today I was asked for my input to the inclement weather policy at work and it's really hard to be fair because, aside from running engineering programs, I can do 95% of my job from home and generally do on off (vacation, sick leave, personal days) days but that's me (my clients are very important to me).  The rest of the employees aren't that into it and when they're 'off' they're off. 

I took issue with the 'if you can't make it to work because of road conditions you'll be docked a days pay' because not every employee can afford to drive a Lincoln Navigator with 4wd year round like the owners do. 

The challenge is it has to be something you can judge by looking at the local closings. 

So I've been mulling and the best thing I can think of is if the local JUCO is closed we should be.  I rejected regular school districts around here because they close if they see a snowflake.

Any ideas?  Particularly from actual business owners would be appreciated. 

One has to be careful as "forcing" someone to travel in inclement weather has faults if that someone is injured or killed. If one can work from home then they should be paid for any work completed. If they can't work from home then they receive no pay. That of course is based on hourly employees. Salary is salary.

[Dichotomy]

We're salary Shuff. 

Around here we rarely get actual snow that makes life difficult we get ice which is extremely dangerous.  And, while a Jeep would be a handy thing to have, I'm not going to shell out the $$ for one that I only need 1 or 2 days a year. 

I think I'll just go with if the local college is closed we are as well.  *shrug* doesn't effect me all that much because, as stated, I can work at home if need be.  The rest of these people really haven't taken the initiative to be able to do so even though I've showed them how easily it can be set up for them.

[VonMessa]

We're salary Shuff. 

Around here we rarely get actual snow that makes life difficult we get ice which is extremely dangerous.  And, while a Jeep would be a handy thing to have, I'm not going to shell out the $$ for one that I only need 1 or 2 days a year. 

I think I'll just go with if the local college is closed we are as well.  *shrug* doesn't effect me all that much because, as stated, I can work at home if need be.  The rest of these people really haven't taken the initiative to be able to do so even though I've showed them how easily it can be set up for them.

You would begin to conjure up reasons to need it 

[Shuffler]

We're salary Shuff.  

Around here we rarely get actual snow that makes life difficult we get ice which is extremely dangerous.  And, while a Jeep would be a handy thing to have, I'm not going to shell out the $$ for one that I only need 1 or 2 days a year.  

I think I'll just go with if the local college is closed we are as well.  *shrug* doesn't effect me all that much because, as stated, I can work at home if need be.  The rest of these people really haven't taken the initiative to be able to do so even though I've showed them how easily it can be set up for them.

Salary is salary. You get a paycheck. Work over or under 40 and check is the same. It all works out in the wash.

As far as showing up.... I think your Junior College idea is probably fine. Down here we do no have snows to deal with except rarely. We get deluged with water from time to time.