We speak to an employment expert about your rights if you’re unable to get to work due to the snow, or if you’re a parent and you need to take the day off because your child’s school is shut
Snow has hit parts of the UK this morning – with the freezing weather causing disruption on the roads and public transport.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for northern Scotland, northern England, and parts of Northern Ireland, the Midlands and north-east Wales. Dozens of schools have also been shut today as a result of the freezing weather.
But what does this mean if you’re unable to get to work due to the snow? Or if you’re a parent and you need to take the day off because your child’s school is shut? We speak to the experts to find out your employment rights for when snow hits.
Follow our live snow blog for the latest weather updates
I can’t get into work – will I still get paid?
In most cases, your boss doesn’t have to pay you if you can’t get into work because of the snow, and your place of employment is still open. Some employers may consider allowing employees to request the time off as annual leave or to work from home.
However, your employer should not force to come into the office if it could be dangerous, according to Neha Thethi, head of employment at Lime Solicitors. She said: “On a general note, employers do not have to pay employees who are unable to get into work, subject to their contract.
“Employees are expected to make reasonable efforts to attend work despite any severe transport disruption or road closures. However, it is usually best practice to be flexible in these circumstances by allowing employees to request the time off as annual leave or to work from home.
“With the help of technology and working adjustments made during the coronavirus pandemic, many employees should be able to work from home. However, it is important to remember your employer should not force you to attempt the journey if there are legitimate concerns for your safety.”
But your workplace has closed for the day, then you should still get paid. Ms Thethi said: “If your employer has closed the office because it is inaccessible, they should usually still pay employees for that day. Withholding pay when employees are unable to work through no fault of their own could be considered as an unauthorised deduction from wages.
“In those circumstances, employees may be able to bring a claim against their employer. However, it should be noted that some employment contracts contain a temporary ‘lay-off’ clause. If this is the case, employers can refuse to give the full amount of pay to employees to a limited time.”
My child’s school is closed – can I take the day off work?
You are entitled to take a reasonable amount of emergency unpaid time off work to take care of your kids. This could mean if you’re unable to work because their school is closed. Ms Thethi said: “Schools are often closed when there is bad weather, forcing many employees to stay at home to look after their children.
“If a school was closed at short notice, this would constitute an emergency relating to a dependant, in which case, you would be entitled to take time off as dependency leave. This type of leave does not have to be paid. Your employer cannot refuse you dependency leave if you have no other choice, and you cannot be disciplined or sacked for taking the time off.”
