Getting snowed in

[myoho]

We are forecast heavy snow tomorrow. I live at the very end of a long windy road which is downhill. I park on my own driveway. In the past when we've had heavy snow I have been snowed in either because I can't get up the hill and/or because other vehicles are stranded up the road.

This is my first winter in a new job and my manager expects me to park my car away from my house on the main road so I can get to work. AIBU to worry that my car might get damaged by someone ploughing into it in bad weather and/or my insurance company would not pay up if they did as I clearly state that my car is parked on my drive overnight?

Would you do this?

If you are deputy manager of a care home, you do need to go above and beyond to get to work as you would I’m sure expect the others working to do! It’s not like people don’t need care just because it’s snowing outside.

I’m a nurse and have taken hours trying to get to work in snow before and others have stayed the night.

Wouldn’t occur to me not to have contingency plans in place as I am a critical worker and it sounds like you are too!

Park on the main road, taxi or stay over at the home are your options really. I do think management have to lead by example in these situations as you will be asking carer colleagues who may well earn less than you to travel.

I work in the NHS and in the past had to park away from my home so I could get to work in the snow, once for about a week at a time! My car was once completely stuck for a whole weekend and I had to come up with a complicated solution involving walking a mile, a sleepover with a family member and lifts/taxis so I could work. Ive moved house now and it’s not a problem anymore. I’m afraid in this sort of job you do need to make efforts to get to work in all weathers and certainly wouldn’t expect your employer to pay for a taxi!

I second the snow socks for your car. I live in a similar sort of place and the snow socks (or are they called auto socks?) are excellent for getting up the hill to the main road in snow.

I used to live at the top of a hill where we’d regularly wake up to 4 inches of snow. I used to park my car at the bottom of the hill a 15 minute walk from my house to ensure I could get to work. Insurance just asks where you normally park your car. It doesn’t invalidate it if you park it anywhere else.
This is a bit of a non-issue. You need to get to work so this is what people do. It used to make me laugh that I could always get to work yet people whose houses I drove past were snowed in. Lazy buggers.

Look, it is up to you to get to work. I am astounded at the number of people who see snow and just decide they can’t go to work. It’s a bit ridiculous really. Being genuinely snowed in is a rare occurrence. It just takes planning and thought about how to manage.

If you cannot get to work by car as your street is blocked (and you cannot clear your drive- though how this would be impossible even with a few feet of snow is beyond me- unless you have a health reason for being unable to shovel snow) then you find another way. Either by using public transport (I know not ideal in a pandemic, but some people are reliant on them despite it) or getting a taxi. Or even walking if a short distance. The only acceptable excuse would be if the roads are shut and taxis and public transport were not running.

I live rurally, in an area where winter snow is a common occurrence. Our roads to do not routinely get cleared (for obvious reasons), and even if they do often not until later in the day. There are few occasions I have been unable to get out to get to work- I have on occasions been late due to road conditions though. I have colleagues who live in town and cannot get to work as they are “snowed in”, which is simply not true for the most part. They just aren’t properly prepared to make any effort outside of the usual.

Go out and get a snow shovel etc if you haven’t got anything. Clear your driveway. If you find your road blocked by other cars, get a taxi or a bus. Or, park your car on the main road so that you can drive it to work.

I think it's a perfectly reasonable request, and quite a regular thing to do if you are somewhere that gets snowed in. Very common to park by the main road where I am if you need to get out.

I'm a nurse and if you have a job where you really need to get in then you have to do what you need to do.

You only do what you need to do, if it is SAFE to do so. You're replaceable at work, but irreplaceable to your loved ones! Don't put your life at risk, if dangerous or police advise against travelling.
However, there should be contingency plans in place for work, in the event of sickness etc anyway, so those would have to kick in!
Noone will put what a great deputy on your epitaph!

YABU. You are perfectly to fine to park on a main road despite your insurance as you’re obviously not going to be at home every night so you can’t use that excuse.

Nor can you expense claim a taxi. It’s your responsibility to get to work, not your employers to get you there.

If you think you won’t be able to get a taxi because you are so rural you should park on the main road though from your tone I expect you’ll park on your drive, “attempt” to get a taxi knowing you can’t and then not go in but feel okay about it because you tried.

@MotherExtraordinaire

You only do what you need to do, if it is SAFE to do so. You're replaceable at work, but irreplaceable to your loved ones! Don't put your life at risk, if dangerous or police advise against travelling. However, there should be contingency plans in place for work, in the event of sickness etc anyway, so those would have to kick in! Noone will put what a great deputy on your epitaph!

In what way is parking at the bottom of the hill a danger to OP’s life. Imagine if all those working in care/hospitals didn’t go in if it snowed. I’ve only ever had 1 snow day in 20 years. Sometimes it’s taken me 3 hours to get in. Sometimes I’ve abandoned the car, walked a mile, got a train then walked another mile. When people rely on you you just get in whatever way. The only time I abandoned going in was when I’d been travelling for 2.5 hours and had only got 3 miles of my 27 mile journey. I phoned to say I was still trying and was told to go home as enough of the more local people had made it in.

@Aiaiaicorona
Great for you.
I'm sure that if you were killed trying to get in, your work would miss you for that shift and by the next an interim replacement would have been put in place.
I'm sure however, that your family would be devastated.
Yes you have a commitment. But don't turn this into who can be the biggest martyr if it's not safe and if the police advise against travel.

Our road is a dead end with a tight bend in it, with cars parked all along one side. So my neighbour and I are off to grit it this afternoon so we can still get out. Hopefully!
I could park in the village, but don't fancy a steep walk uphill in the snow at 7am.

If you are concerned about parking in the road in case someone drives into you, then park up in your own driveway. We are on a hill and if we get snow, we generally get up really early and have in the past dug ourselves out to get to work.

Make sure you have a snow shovel, head torch (really good when it is dark first thing to see what you are doing), keep blankets in the car etc. incase you get stuck. Once the drive is clear and road is clear then we normally grit it (we bought loads of grit years ago). Also carry a spare shovel in the boot, cardboard box (as it comes in handy if the wheels do get stuck - pop it under the wheels for friction) and carry a bag of cat litter in the car as well.

Just leave yourself plenty of time to get out. If you are that concerned, then order yourself some winter tyres next time round.

Or I believe you can buy snow grips etc. on amazon to pop on your wheels etc.

I didn't think of a taxi , that's a good idea, just hope they're happy when they see it on my expenses claim form!
Unless the employer specifically agrees to pay this, you can't claim home to work travel expenses - and even if they do, it will be considered a taxable benefit.

Like you I live in a very rural area and if the snow is bad I am going nowhere. No employer should be in a position where they cannot function if one person, no matter who they are, can't get in to work. What happens if you are ill? If it snows and you can't get out, then you can't go to work. They need to be prepared for that.

Imagine if all those working in care/hospitals didn’t go in if it snowed.

Which is what happened here only last week. The staff already on shift at the hospital had to cover extra hours to cover those who couldn't get to work, and hospital accommodation was pressed into service for people to sleep, shower and change. As there was warning, staff coming in had been advised to bring overnight bags as they usually are when weather is that bad.

Really, it is ridiculous to imagine that snow doesn't have any impact on hospitals and care homes (or anything else, and if you think that people can just "plough on" then you clearly live in an area of the country where "snow" means "a few flakes hit the ground". Around here a "light covering" is 6 - 8 inches deep.

@myoho

I'm a deputy manager of a care home.

buttermeupscotty when I say my drive, it isn't a drive I turn into , it's outside my house and goes round the side of my house. It isn't a main road and my house is at a dead end so nobody comes down here , I am the very last house. Yes, people have tried to get out of the road and failed , leaving their cars stranded.

I didn't think of a taxi , that's a good idea, just hope they're happy when they see it on my expenses claim form!

It's not their responsibility to pay for you to get to work!

@Moondust001

Imagine if all those working in care/hospitals didn’t go in if it snowed.

Which is what happened here only last week. The staff already on shift at the hospital had to cover extra hours to cover those who couldn't get to work, and hospital accommodation was pressed into service for people to sleep, shower and change. As there was warning, staff coming in had been advised to bring overnight bags as they usually are when weather is that bad.

Really, it is ridiculous to imagine that snow doesn't have any impact on hospitals and care homes (or anything else, and if you think that people can just "plough on" then you clearly live in an area of the country where "snow" means "a few flakes hit the ground". Around here a "light covering" is 6 - 8 inches deep.

Yes but that level of snow isn’t what happens in most of the country and since most areas have had snow at some point over the last month it sounds like OP isn’t in area that is often badly hit or she’d be used to contingency plans. I live in a village in the Pennines so we regularly get ‘bad’ snow but all have contingency’s to get to work. Some people are just weird with snow. A couple of years ago we lived in town also in the north and loads of people wouldn’t walk their children to school as it was too risky in the 2 inches we got!

Too late for now but I would definitely get winter tyres as well as good for driving on snow they also give better grip in the rain.

If you’re deputy manager you do have to get in to work, what if half of your staff didn’t turn up for their shifts? I’d just park on the main road and take the risk. Has there been lots of cars damaged on that road in the past? What do you normally do when it snows?

emilyfrost not sure what 'tone' you are detecting from my post
I would not feel 'okay' about not being able to get in...what makes you think that?

Nowhere in my posts have I said I won't attempt to get to work, of course I will, I'm well aware that people still need care even if it snows!

I'm also aware that they need care when staff are off sick which is why I'm about to go in on a Saturday.

I merely asked advice as to whether I would be insured if I wasn't parked on my drive overnight!

I live in a cul de sac and difficult to get my car out when it snows so I always park it on the main road so I can drive to work the next day.

I didn't think of a taxi , that's a good idea, just hope they're happy when they see it on my expenses claim form!

Why would you be expensing your normal commute to work?

If you've had issues before, and you work in a care home, you would have surely thought about (and invested in) a set of winter tyres.

Leave the car somewhere safe where you can drive to work tomorrow, a place that is walkable from your house.

Hate people who try to scrounge a day off because of their own unpreparedness. Really grates me.

However you get to work, take an emergency overnight bag just in case.
I have driven into work in the snow, but I have also clubbed together with colleagues and got a taxi to work.

IAmongstTheWorld
Yes I have had had issues before where I have not been able to get my car out onto a main road (along with many of my neighbours)

It was not a problem because I had a job where I could work from home.

This is the first winter that I have worked in a care home and I have never tried to 'scrounge a day off' in my life. I am about to go in on my day off to cover for staff sickness, but you carry on making assumptions.

I'm sure that if you were killed trying to get in, your work would miss you for that shift and by the next an interim replacement would have been put in place.
Same could be said if OP missed work for being “snowed in” if management deem it critical for her to be in the building she’ll have to choose between death (because obviously that’s the only outcome travelling in the snow ) or being sacked for missing work.