HR Snow Day Policies

It’s January in New England and although the weather has been spring like, the forecast is calling for an ice storm with snow accumulation tomorrow.  With a few more months of this weather ahead of us, you will need to plan for a snowy winter day.  Policy and messaging to deal with these conditions are the source of much angst by employers.  Most of the policies we write for clients encourage employees to pay attention to safety first.  Some general guidelines for you to consider as you respond the “flurry” of questions that bubble up during storms:

• If employees can’t work through no fault of their own (state of emergency, you close your offices), we recommend paying them.
• If you don’t officially close be sure to be clear that staff will be paid if they work in the office or at home but offer the option of taking paid time off, if available, so staff have some option if they don’t feel safe driving but don’t have work they can do at home.  You may want to require pre-approval for work at home as not all jobs lend themselves to this option.
• Before communicating, think about your goals.  Do you want to encourage staff to work at home?   If so, be sure to state this and provide support – IT resources for questions, access to managers for projects that can be done from home.  Best practice is to be clear.
• If possible, announce early closings in advance and again be clear on the expectation.  Are staff expected to finish their work at home, take vacation time, or will they simply be paid because you are closing early?
• If your business requires presence or staff to work during bad weather, not only pay staff, but go the extra mile to thank them and provide recognition.
• Common sense is the best approach.  First, figure out what you want.  Be fair, be consistent and provide support.

Do you have questions?  Feel free to reach out to me at 781-235-1490.  I am happy to help with your HR policy questions.