Depending on where your business is located, severe weather can pose a variety of workplace challenges. And one of the biggest is knowing how to handle closures or delays due to storms, extreme temperatures, and other inclement weather conditions. From paying employees to safeguarding them, there’s a lot to worry about. What should your inclement weather policy contain to protect your business’ future? Let’s find out.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to prepare your business for closings and delays, how to handle employees who opt not to come in, the impact of closures on pay, and any employment laws you need to comply with. After reading this, you’ll know what your inclement weather policy should include to keep your business ready for any type of weather event, safely and compliantly.
An inclement weather policy outlines safety, operational, and employee compensation guidelines in the event of unusual or severe weather conditions that impact travel or the day-to-day operation of your business. These situations can occur due to:
Based on where your business and employees are located, the contents of your policy may vary. For example, an inch of snow in Vermont may not impact your workplace at all but that same amount in Texas could be considered severe weather that affects, for example, employees’ ability to arrive safely at work. However, there are general topics you’ll want to include, which we’ll discuss next.
When creating inclement weather policies, you’ll want to consider the following topics:
Outline what factors you will consider to make the decision to close your workplace or delay your start time so employees understand what to look out for such as school or local governmental office closures or delays. Be sure to spell out if there may be different considerations for essential personnel or when adverse weather affects only some employees’ ability to get to work.
List what methods you’ll use to notify employees of a delay or closure, such as phone, text, email, or emergency notification software. And let them know how far in advance they’ll hear, for example, by 7 a.m. If weather conditions get worse as the day goes on, you’ll also want to share how you’ll let employees know of any plans to close early. As the weather improves, be sure to also provide status updates so employees can prepare for a return to the workplace.
There may be times that you decide to stay open but employees choose not to come in. For example, they may be worried about driving conditions or their children’s daycare or school could be closed. One option is to let employees work remotely if they’re set up to telecommute. Or you could allow employees to stay home and deduct the time off from their accrued leave. In fact, under federal law, you can require both exempt and nonexempt employees to use vacation time or PTO when the workplace closes due to weather. In cases where a nonexempt worker doesn’t have enough leave, or they elect not to use their PTO, you can deduct the pay for the day(s) missed from their paycheck.
Either way, if the employee decides not to come in, you’ll want to make sure you establish a policy for notifying their manager or supervisor before the start of the workday. And if anyone needs extended time to deal with repairs from a storm, your policy should outline that they should use accrued leave or, if exhausted, request an unpaid leave of absence.
You’ll want your inclement weather policy to describe how employee pay will be affected if you have to close, whether you make that decision before the day starts or once employees already arrive to start work. Typically, that decision depends on whether an employee is exempt or nonexempt.
It’s important to note that if an employee is nonexempt but they spend time at home checking their email, you’ll have to pay them for that time worked. If you don’t have a rule prohibiting unauthorized work, be sure to set up a process for employees to report their time.
An inclement weather policy is important for several reasons:
The first step in creating an inclement weather policy is to establish a team who will decide on the rules, expectations, and operating procedures for your workplace before, during, and after severe weather hits. This team should address all of the information we just discussed, making sure your unique business operations drive what’s included. Once you develop a policy, you’ll want to share it with all employees and include it in your handbook.
Since it can be difficult to create a new policy and update an employee handbook without expert guidance, many companies choose to outsource this function to ensure it’s done properly. If you’d like to find out how Complete Payroll Solutions can help, learn more about the employee handbook services our team can offer.