SNOW ADVICE FOR EMPLOYERS
With Salisbury almost grinding to a halt due to heavy snow, and with predictions of deeply cold winter ahead, employers may wonder how to cope with the big freeze. Alan Jenner, Employment lawyer at Salisbury Solicitors Bonallack and Bishop has some practical tips for businesses to survive the severe weather.
"Firstly what happens if employees don't make it into work due to the weather? The most efficient option (which is also often the most popular with staff) is, if possible, to let employees work from home. All of Bonallack and Bishop’s solicitors have remote access and work effectively from home. In fact although our excellent marketing manager recently moved to Northern Ireland, she has continued to work for us using remote access.
The second question is how to treat those employees who cannot work from home. Provided you tell your workers to come into work if possible, there are three options:
- Agree with staff for them to make time up where appropriate – this works particularly well with part-time workers, and it's generally reasonably popular with staff as it avoids lost holiday or pay.
- Make staff take the lost hours off as holiday – provided you give staff notice of your intention to do so, an employer normally has the power to dictate when holidays are taken.
- Deduct pay for the lost hours from employees – although employers normally have the power to do so, particularly in the current economic climate this may not go down well and should probably be seen as a last resort."
Alan added that, "Employers should also be aware that there is no minimum workplace temperature proscribed in Health and Safety legislation. However, workplace regulations do state that ‘temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable during working hours’.
Although the regulations themselves give no figures, Health and Safety Executive guidance suggests temperatures “should normally be at least 16 C unless much of the work involves severe physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 C”.
For more information, please contact employment solicitor Alan Jenner on 01722 422300 or email Alan Jenner
