Snow Days

Moobag

Just wondered how everyone else is treating snow days.

I have a client who I do payroll for and he has asked me how I would treat snow days? All of his employees had at least 1 day off because of the snow and he doesn't know whether to pay them or not.

He is also concerned that this will happen each year and will only get worse!!!!

I have looked on the businesslink website and can't find any guidance. I would assume that it is at the employers discretion whether to pay employees or not???

Any help great appreciated.

messedup89

Moobag wrote: »

Just wondered how everyone else is treating snow days.

I have a client who I do payroll for and he has asked me how I would treat snow days? All of his employees had at least 1 day off because of the snow and he doesn't know whether to pay them or not.

He is also concerned that this will happen each year and will only get worse!!!!

I have looked on the businesslink website and can't find any guidance. I would assume that it is at the employers discretion whether to pay employees or not???

Any help great appreciated.

I think its at the employers discretion.
They can take is as a holiday, unpaid leave, pay them or not pay them

Claire321

Some employers seem to pay staff if they are unable to get to work and some seem to deduct employees wages or have rules that they have to make up the time or use annual leave.

My employer currently still pays staff even if they are unable to get to work or in many cases don't actually make the effort! I think this will be reviewed now, and is likely to depend if buses/public transport are running.

I also know of several employers who don't pay staff if they are unable to get to work.

There was this article on the BBC news website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8421373.stm

slackda

They way our place is looking at it is :

1.Severity of affected area.
2.Atempts made to get to place of work.

So far we have been given 1 day, however if you took extra days you had to take them as holiday, i have got round this by pleading my case , as i took 4 hours with my neighbours to clear the snow and was able to make it to the work in the afternoon so have not lost a 2nd day.

The issue of paying people regardless is they have no incentive and its very demoralising for the others that do make the effort to get in.

I think the best approach is to be clear with your intentions and advise staff in an approraite manner (i.e don;t let them know in their payslip but a couple of days after it has happened)

Marga

i believe it is at employer's discretion

i do not drive so another colleague usually picks me up and we come together to work. she lives about 30min from work and i live about 15 min.

There is another woman who lives 10 min from work.

On the snow days my colleague couldnt pick me up so i tried to take the bus , the buses were not running in the morning so i had to wait until 11 am to be able to take a bus , that plus the bus being slow didnt help so i ended up at work around lunch time. During all this time i was on the phone to my manager advising her what was happening .

the other woman the one that lives 10 min away couldnt make it either althought she drives and her house is in the bus line if you know what i mean she called in to our manager and said she couldnt come to work due to the snow.

My manager gave me that day as special leave , whcih means it was paid for and not taken from my holidays.

To the other lady she asked her to take either one day holidays of or have that day not paid


i do believe it depends

messedup89

we're still waiting to hear on the decision.......

Cullen

I would look at the employees' contract and see how their pay and benefits are defined.

Our contracts here state that any absences are paid at the director's discretion. So he may pay some or all as he chooses. So far he has made everyone take it as their day off, holiday or deducted it from accumulated lieu time. That may or may not apply to other businesses.

smallmas

We were given time fully paid (though wasn't full day off, was only leaving early).

Would agree with above - make clear to staff and run with it. Best done at time of day off though.

Rinske

I would like a sun-day today, as the sun is shining. I think it should be the boss' time and money, do you think that's valid?