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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Workmates and snow!

183 replies

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 18:44

It isn't even snowing here yet but people are already saying they can't come in tomorrow because they need to stay at home to look after their 32 year old! Drives me up the wall!!!

AIBU to think they should have a contingency plan?!!!

OP posts:

InfinitySeven · 20/01/2015 18:45

No, I think most 32 year olds could look after themselves ;)

flora717 · 20/01/2015 18:47

It rarely snows in most of the UK to any significant.
Staying at home / taking a days leave is a contingency plan.

Original poster

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 18:48

That wasn't a typo... But maybe an exaggeration Think between 13 and 17 yo. The ones with young kids are always in no problem.

OP posts:

NewYearsHangoversHurtAlot · 20/01/2015 18:49

That always grates on me. Some people look for any excuse to ditch a days work

littleleftie · 20/01/2015 18:49

Ooh I love a good snow day

We only had a little bit today so kids weren't off school.

I think YABU to expect everyone to have a contingency plan for emergency school closures. Not everyone has relatives on tap who are able to trek through the snow to get to them and may be relying on childcare/nursery that is closed.

What sort of contigency plan for this would you suggest?

Original poster

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 18:50

I'm a bit disappointed this year; I've always gotten in and sorted things out. This year they have decided that emergency annual leave/TOIL/anything won't be an option and it will be unpaid. Why didn't I decide fuck it last year?

OP posts:

Original poster

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 18:50

bare in mind I'm talking about older children. Like I say, the ones with younger ones always get in.

OP posts:

CyclopsBee · 20/01/2015 18:51

We don't get much snow here but a few years back we had a good dumping of the stuff,
People were phoning to say they couldn't possibly make it on through the snow,
Then one employee who travels 40 miles by car why would you to work, made it in on time and made the 'locals' who skived couldn't make it, look extremely silly.
The schools around here close when there is a mm of snow, so that was used as an excuse

MegMogandOwlToo · 20/01/2015 18:51

It depends what their commute is like really.

A few of us at work have 1 hour + commutes on country roads with hair pin bends etx, and we're all going to see how it goes in the morning - if it's bad, we'll work from home first thing, and head in later, or work at home all day.

It depends on the workplace culture I suppose.

littleleftie · 20/01/2015 18:52

The ones with younger children always get in? er, yeah if you say so........

Sounds like you are just making it up as you go along now. I'm off to leave you to it.

ApocalypseThen · 20/01/2015 18:53

How dare people prefer to put their family first? Don't they know there's extremely important work to do with the captains of very important industry, the movers and shakers and the wealth creators?

People who prefer to look after their family are weak and work shy freeloaders.

NewYearsHangoversHurtAlot · 20/01/2015 18:53

What grates on me with snow is why do schools shut? Genuinely I don't get it. The rest of the country and public sector doesn't shut down so why are schools special?

Original poster

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 18:54

Excuse me, you have so much insight into my workplace then? This is my experience of where I work. I'm assuming you would shirk so disagree.

OP posts:

Eastwickwitch · 20/01/2015 18:54

I think it really depends where you live.
Out here, in the rural sticks, we don't get any gritting. It's about 3 miles to the main road and potentially really dangerous or nigh on impossible to get out in heavy snow.

I'd rather take a day without pay than run the risk of an RTC.

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 20/01/2015 18:55

I will walk to work if it snows.

I am assuming my 27 year old and 24 year old will manage to get to work too. They don't live with us anymore so I won't need to take a snow day to hold their hands. They got left at home from age 12 on snow days.

Original poster

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 18:56

I don't mean if it's dangerous, that's totally understandable. I'd trek in through almost anything... What gets me is before anything has even happened it's I'm not coming in!!!

OP posts:

nhsworker15 · 20/01/2015 18:57

Don't you have a bad weather policy? In my work we have to make a reasonable attempt to get to work and the only excuses we can use are if the the police are advising not to drive at all and public transport is cancelled. Even then we're expected to walk to the nearest nhs facility and work from there. If schools are shut we'd have to take carers leave, but if it was a planned closure we'd be expected to have other arrangements in place. We certainly couldn't say that we wouldn't be in the next day just in case.

Fabulous46 · 20/01/2015 18:57

This really annoys me with colleagues. We had awful snow a few years ago and I managed to get myself 8 miles down a farm road and 24 miles to work after that. People who lived 5 miles away never made it "because they were snowed in" . It's a bit of snow FFS, people seem to think if a flake falls it's a snow day.

Leeds2 · 20/01/2015 18:58

Surely you don't need to say home to look after 13+ year olds?! I wouldn't dare come up with that as an excuse.

PrincessOfChina · 20/01/2015 18:58

I live in the city. It's snowing and I won't be in tomorrow if it settles. I have a 3 year old and am 7 months pregnant.

The main road might be clear but I can't really be assed digging out the car and negotiating the 6 or 7 side roads it would take to get me and DD to nursery and work (all within a few miles).

I'm actually set up to work from home so it's inconsequential - I'll just work slightly different hours to ensure I can deal with DD too. But my point is, living closer to work or in a city does not make your commute any safer necessarily.

Original poster

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 18:59

We don't, which is odd as we have a policy for everything Which is probably why we have a problem. I think it has gotten to the point that the people who always at least try to get in have started to think it's not worth the bother so they've gone super strict.

OP posts:

MissDuke · 20/01/2015 18:59

I think a lot us are genuinely just wimps and clueless about driving in it? Or is that just me?

hamptoncourt · 20/01/2015 18:59

newyears the schools shut because the teachers can't get in.

OP all this guff about justifying your post because the people with younger children all manage to get in is ridiculous.

Or maybe you are absolutely right and the way things happen at your workplace is just magically different than everywhere else in the UK. Maybe that is it?

I am a teacher and I luffs snow days

OriginalGreenGiant · 20/01/2015 19:00

If the school closes then I'm not in. End of.

I have a fantastic cm who looks after mine 2 days a week of afterschool care and 2 full days a week in the holidays.

But she has 3 under 3's that she has 7-3 term time only so can't provide care for mine when they're there (legally/ratio wise I think she could but she knows her limits and it would be too much).

My contingency plan for school closure is - don't go to work.

Original poster

ACSlater · 20/01/2015 19:00

I would never ever expect a pregnant woman to walk in the snow. Not worth the risk.

OP posts:

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