In my opinion that article is wrong. The assertion that 'Very few jobs have a clause written into their contract saying that if employees cannot get in to work because of weather they lose a day's pay' is irrelevant. The employer doesn't need a clause like that. It is not an illegal deduction from wages earned because if the person hasn't turned up and worked their contractual hours they haven't earned that money.
(I don't necessarily support that position from a point of view of good employer/employee relations!)
I agree with keefy. Also, it might not be the employees fault they can't get into work, but it's not the employers either, and they are the ones that will be losing money.
My husband's employers wrote to all their staff at the end of last winter & told them that from this winter if they couldn't make it to work bacause of the weather they could:-
a) take unpaid leave
b) use holidays
c) use any flexi or leiu time they have available.
I think it's fair enough. In my job, if they make the decision to close and tell us not to come in, then they pay us, if we take the decision ourselves then that's fine, but we have to take it as holiday or take it unpaid. If we are open, and we go in, then we're paid - even if we get there really late because we've walked.
Well one of our colleagues called in to say he couldn't make it in but when he was informed by HR that he wasn't going to get paid he then walked through the door an hour later!!
So some people do seem to use it as an excuse to just take the day off as employers cant prove that they cant get in.
Well one of our colleagues called in to say he couldn't make it in but when he was informed by HR that he wasn't going to get paid he then walked through the door an hour later!!
It is a tricky one! I've walked into work (2 miles) as I needed to run a payroll but I am the only one here. We open to the public for families to bring children in and the Project Manager decided we would stay shut so the people on reception were told they didn't need to come in (although neither of them could anyway as they had their children at home due to the schools being shut). So is it fair that they get paid and have had a day off but I have had to walk in through the snow and have spent most of the day telling people on the phone that we are closed!
I've finished now but I've got my little office nice and warm with a fan heater and I can see it's still snowing heavily outside- don't want to walk the 2 miles back home!
I agree with keefy. Also, it might not be the employees fault they can't get into work, but it's not the employers either, and they are the ones that will be losing money.
Most work doesnt just dissapear on "snow days". If a backlog of work has built up that the employees are expected to clear when they get back by working longer hours without additional pay - then the company may not actually lose out at all.
In this instance - the employees should be paid, especially if they cant go into work because of a site closure.
It is a tricky one! I've walked into work (2 miles) as I needed to run a payroll but I am the only one here. We open to the public for families to bring children in and the Project Manager decided we would stay shut so the people on reception were told they didn't need to come in (although neither of them could anyway as they had their children at home due to the schools being shut). So is it fair that they get paid and have had a day off but I have had to walk in through the snow and have spent most of the day telling people on the phone that we are closed!
I've finished now but I've got my little office nice and warm with a fan heater and I can see it's still snowing heavily outside- don't want to walk the 2 miles back home!
Surely it would be better to start your journey now? If it is snowing heavily now and it carries on doing so it will just make your journey even harder later on.
Easy for me to say though, I am sat in a nice warm house and don't have to walk 2 yards outside let alone 2 miles.
Seems to be the full article from where the BBC got their little snippet from.
Sounds to me that unless you are willing to take your employer to court and argue over something you might not win anyway that you have no choice but to accept it.
Sounds to me that unless you are willing to take your employer to court and argue over something you might not win anyway that you have no choice but to accept it.
Yep. I think it needs someone to go through to court with it and have a precedent set either way depending on the outcome.
I just think companies should make their policy known before the weather happens. I know a couple companies that issue a reminder in October/November as to what their policy is. They employees can take it unpaid, use flexi/Lieu days or take it as holiday, their choice.
At least then everyone knows where they stand and it discourages people pulling a fast one as they aren't just getting a paid day off with no loss to themselves.
Most work doesnt just dissapear on "snow days". If a backlog of work has built up that the employees are expected to clear when they get back by working longer hours without additional pay - then the company may not actually lose out at all.
In this instance - the employees should be paid, especially if they cant go into work because of a site closure.
Which office roles actually have a site closure because of snow? Non which I have ever worked in. Let's face it, a lot of people see a few flakes of snow and think 'oh good, an excuse for a day off'. Fair enough if they take it as annual leave or unpaid, but why should the company foot the bill for laziness? I managed to get in from Surrey to central London yesterday, but people that live less than few miles from work not only got in late, but left early. Total joke and just am excuse to take the pee.
I stood at the bus stop today for 40 mins in a blizzard waiting on my bus to work - I then called the bus companies to be told they were all cancelled, I have no money other than my bus fare, so I had to go home, I wont get paid for today, and I certainly wouldn't expect to be paid! Its the same as phoning in sick really.
Which office roles actually have a site closure because of snow? Non which I have ever worked in.
I'm sorry - I was unaware this thread specific to office roles?
Also - you cant use your own personal experience as benchmark for the rest of the country. Perhaps you have just been lucky - an office can close for a multitude of reasons in severe weather:
1. Power outage
2. Heating failure
3. Mains water burst
4. Critical employees unable to make it in (i.e. the person with the key)
Of course with situations like this, some people will always take the piss - but you cant assume that everyone is. What are the poor sods who got stuck on the M25 last night supposed to do?
I stood at the bus stop today for 40 mins in a blizzard waiting on my bus to work - I then called the bus companies to be told they were all cancelled, I have no money other than my bus fare, so I had to go home, I wont get paid for today, and I certainly wouldn't expect to be paid! Its the same as phoning in sick really.
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They will either pay you as usual, not pay you or make you take it as a days holiday.
To be fair they are mostly in the GD forum, not here in advice, but how many times can the same question be asked??
Not according to the BBCwebsite.
In my opinion that article is wrong. The assertion that 'Very few jobs have a clause written into their contract saying that if employees cannot get in to work because of weather they lose a day's pay' is irrelevant. The employer doesn't need a clause like that. It is not an illegal deduction from wages earned because if the person hasn't turned up and worked their contractual hours they haven't earned that money.
(I don't necessarily support that position from a point of view of good employer/employee relations!)
I blame the record number of people stuck at home with nothing better to do than waste their time on the internet.
a) take unpaid leave
b) use holidays
c) use any flexi or leiu time they have available.
So some people do seem to use it as an excuse to just take the day off as employers cant prove that they cant get in.
It is clearly wrong. If you don't turn up to work then you don't get paid. Easy.
That would have SERIOUSLY pi**ed me off...
I've finished now but I've got my little office nice and warm with a fan heater and I can see it's still snowing heavily outside- don't want to walk the 2 miles back home!
Read this, http://www.out-law.com/page-10643
Seems to be the full article from where the BBC got their little snippet from.
Most work doesnt just dissapear on "snow days". If a backlog of work has built up that the employees are expected to clear when they get back by working longer hours without additional pay - then the company may not actually lose out at all.
In this instance - the employees should be paid, especially if they cant go into work because of a site closure.
Surely it would be better to start your journey now? If it is snowing heavily now and it carries on doing so it will just make your journey even harder later on.
Easy for me to say though, I am sat in a nice warm house and don't have to walk 2 yards outside let alone 2 miles.
Sounds to me that unless you are willing to take your employer to court and argue over something you might not win anyway that you have no choice but to accept it.
Yep. I think it needs someone to go through to court with it and have a precedent set either way depending on the outcome.
I just think companies should make their policy known before the weather happens. I know a couple companies that issue a reminder in October/November as to what their policy is. They employees can take it unpaid, use flexi/Lieu days or take it as holiday, their choice.
At least then everyone knows where they stand and it discourages people pulling a fast one as they aren't just getting a paid day off with no loss to themselves.
To be honest we no longer care, he resigned and so we only have to put up with his crap attitude for a few more weeks.
*suffice to say he quit before he was about to be pushed.
Which office roles actually have a site closure because of snow? Non which I have ever worked in. Let's face it, a lot of people see a few flakes of snow and think 'oh good, an excuse for a day off'. Fair enough if they take it as annual leave or unpaid, but why should the company foot the bill for laziness? I managed to get in from Surrey to central London yesterday, but people that live less than few miles from work not only got in late, but left early. Total joke and just am excuse to take the pee.
If you didn't come into work you didn't get paid, or you took it as a days holiday.
I'm sorry - I was unaware this thread specific to office roles?
Also - you cant use your own personal experience as benchmark for the rest of the country. Perhaps you have just been lucky - an office can close for a multitude of reasons in severe weather:
1. Power outage
2. Heating failure
3. Mains water burst
4. Critical employees unable to make it in (i.e. the person with the key)
Of course with situations like this, some people will always take the piss - but you cant assume that everyone is. What are the poor sods who got stuck on the M25 last night supposed to do?
You dn't get sickpay?
you need to find a better company to work for.