Does your Company Have an Inclement Weather Policy?
With forecasts for the Northern Virginia region calling for nearly two feet of snow, many Virginia business owners will have to decide whether to take a “snow day.” For small businesses in particular, this decision is confounded by operational and logistical factors, including the absence of a means to timely communicate with employees (to advise them of a closing) and the potential disruption to critical business processes. Instead of playing the “should I close” decision by ear, businesses should take the proactive step of adopting an inclement weather policy.
Corey Riley, the facility administrator of DaVita Dialysis in Arlington, recommends that small businesses identify in advance which employees are critical to sustain business operations. “Given the nature of our business and that, for our customers, our services are literally a matter of life or death, we cannot afford to make decisions at the last minute. It is important that each of our employees knows precisely what to do well in advance of a winter storm,” said Riley. “On occasions like this weekend, we will rent an SUV and then have a team member pick up the employees who are essential to the operation of the center.”
“The safety of each employee should be a primary consideration in a company’s inclement weather policy,” said Talulla Newsome, a recent retiree and the former head of Colgate Palmolive’s Global Technology Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. “The policy should be flexible enough to allow employees to make a decision that is best for their own personal circumstance. Most importantly, regardless of the policy, there must be open communication between each employee and the employee’s direct supervisor.”
So what should your inclement weather policy consist of? In reality, there isn’t a “one size fits all” answer to this question. However, every inclement weather policy should:
- State that it is the company’s policy to remain open during inclement weather and that employees should make every reasonable effort to get to work (or telecommute if the company has a telecommuting policy in place).
- Detail how and when the company will communicate closings or delayed openings to employees.
- Address potential issues relating to hourly employees, such as whether they will be paid (or disciplined) for not reporting to work when the business is open.
For business continuity and employee safety, every business should have an inclement weather policy in place. Once a policy is in place, make sure that it is kept up-to-date and that it is regularly communicated to employees.
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I looked up this particular topic because of the recent snow storm that hit the DMV a few weeks ago, as well as the storm at the end of 2009. My job never closes. We are a commercial real estate company. No matter what the weather, they expect you to make it into the office. For example, the storm a few weeks ago left me snowed in and a snow plow didn't come to our neighborhood until the following Sunday, needless to say I was stuck the house for an entire week with my family. That Friday, we required to stay until closing even if the weather turned bad, and were expected to be in the office the following week. That monday there was no chance of getting out, so I tried again that Tuesday and got stuck 4 times (had to leave my car down the street) and almost hit a parked car just trying to make it off my street. I had to take it upon myself the entire week to call out or go in. I came back to work that Monday, only to find out that they had only given us 1 snow day and the rest were vacation days. Only about 3-4 people showed up when they could. Is my job allowed to do this? Keep in mind, we are told it is up to our discretion as to come in or not, and like most people I could not make it out, let alone off my street, plus no metro or buses running. Now I owe in vacation and had to give up my vacation I had planned for the end of next month.