I am writing this piece after spending five and half hours on a train travelling north from Peterborough to Edinburgh in the snow. For the entire journey, the land was completely covered in thick, thick snow, even in the city centres (apart from three fields full of brussel sprouts just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed). For me it was eye-wateringly beautiful, but not so good for those working outdoors obviously. I began to wonder how employers deal with workers who ring to say they can’t get to work because of the weather.
I checked the News and Advice section to find comprehensive advice on exactly what you should do. It suggests that you should consider introducing a policy on adverse weather conditions if you haven’t already got one, and clarify whether employees will be paid for the days they are unable to get into work because of the weather, rather than risk giving them a nasty surprise when they receive their payslip.
As our winter weather seems to be getting more extreme, five minutes spent reading this article will be time well spent and always remember that employees should not feel pressured to risk their safety to get into work, any policy should be as fair as possible and take into consideration the health and safety of employees.
ONE MORE THING
It’s a given that you can lay bricks when the temperature is as low as +2 degrees, provided that the temperature is rising and not falling. Well that’s fine, but how does the poor bricklayer keep warm enough to do the job? Apparently, they wear tights - or so I have been led to believe.
I have done a bit of investigating in the politest way possible, by simply asking outdoor workers I feel I know well enough about how they keep warm when the cold weather bites. None of them wanted to go on record, but it seems that tight-wearing isn’t a bit out of the ordinary.
