Now that the cold weather has finally arrived, it is a good idea for employers to make sure that they have a policy in place to cover disruption due to severe weather conditions and / or public transport disruption. Having such a policy in place should reduce the scope for confusion and potential disputes. Therefore, Simply-docs has introduced a Severe Weather and Disruption to Public Transport Policy.
Flexibility is important in the event that bad weather or public transport problems make it difficult for employees to get into work.
Employers should consider alternative ways of enabling employees to continue working, for example, allowing them to work from home or to work flexible hours, or allowing employees to take paid annual or unpaid leave.
If an employee does not turn up for work or turns up late because of adverse weather or disruptions to public transport, the employer is entitled to treat the absence as an unauthorised absence, which means that the employee is not entitled to be paid. However, both severe weather and disruption to public transport are situations that are out of the employee’s control. Thus, the employer should proceed with extreme caution and the reasons for an employee’s non-attendance should be investigated before stopping his or her pay.
This Severe Weather and Disruption to Public Transport Policy has also been added to the Employment Document Folder.
The Safe Driving Policy in the Health and Safety Document Folder has also been updated to refer to the Severe Weather Policy.
The contents of this Newsletter are for reference purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Independent legal advice should be sought in relation to any specific legal matter.