Snow Days: Anxiety for Employees AND Employers
Snow Days: Anxiety for Employees and Employers
We've had lots of questions about how to handle employee absences due to the recent snow storms. It's a tough call to make as to whether you keep the office open, how to handle employees who can't make it and whether you dock people's pay if they can't make it.
So, first off - safety first. Many people don't have vehicles that are good in the snow and that creates anxiety and unsafe conditions. Second, consider the distance that your employees have to travel. If you have people who live in the country or a considerable distance away, it may not make sense for them to make the effort. Third - how do you want to use this situation? It's an opportunity to create goodwill and get "good employer" points or you can follow all of the rules and let the chips fall where they may.
Here are a few guidelines:
- Have a policy in your handbook covering inclement weather, early closings and unscheduled leaves - this helps people know in advance what to expect.
- The Fair Labor Standard Act does NOT require you to pay hourly and non-exempt employees for not working, but you should consider if they'll be able to make up their hours, have sufficient Paid Time Off to cover, or will you cover them through "Goodwill."
- You must pay exempt employees their salaries regardless of the number of hours they work during the week whether you are open or closed, but you can ask them to monitor e-mails and phone messages even when they are not in the office.
- Employees who have already scheduled leave for the period of time when inclement weather occurs, do not get their vacation days back...in other words, if you were in Florida over this time you don't get any credit for the closed office days...
Overall, it's best to address the inclement weather issue in advance. If the weather is going to be bad, send an email in advance and let your employees know what the protocol will be. One of our clients tells her employees to follow the city guidelines - if the city offices are closed, then we are, too. That way they can watch the morning news and know immediately what the situation is for the day. And, get ready...there's more snow in the forecast!
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