To think people shouldn't use annual leave if they can't get in due to bad weather?

[malificent7]

I was surprised to find out that is the law to use annual leave if there is bad enough weather to make travel dangerous. I had to use my annual leave to avoid my commute through a huge flood last year. We are having increased storms now.
Of course in an ideal world we would all work in the same town we love in but this is not always possible.

The law???
Care to evidence that statement?

I believe our company policy was that it had to be taken if you couldn't get in to the office and you'd left the work laptop behind at the office as it was expected that it would be taken home with you.

It’s down to company policy surely? Some companies pay if they close and you can’t work. At mine I’d just work from home, but it is expected that all laptops are taken home each day.

I don’t think it’s the law! I think it’s a matter of company policy.

Do you mean there’s not a law preventing that from being the policy?

What do you suggest should be used then? As I get why you think it’s not fair but a storm isn’t a businesses fault either and if they allowed everyone the day off there would always be CF’s who take advantage

"The law"...😅

Well yes, I agree.

Why should Bob who lives rurally get a free paid day off when Lucy who lives in town can get in?

If your work place are open and are offering you work, and you are not able to provide that work, then yes, it should holiday or unpaid. Why should the company pay you for not working? The weather is no fault of theirs anymore than it is yours.

Well if you can't WFH then it's either annual leave or unpaid leave - which would you prefer?

You can't expect to be paid for not working, that's unreasonable and unfair on those who do work, whether in the office or from home.

What’s you suggestion then. Unpaid leave is also available.

I suppose I phrased this bafly...it is legal to make people take annual leave for bad weather.
So for example a colleague told me about a year with loads of snow...couldn't get in even thoigh ot was in the same town. Made to take annual leave.

It’s a company policy decision, not covered by employment law.

It’s “legal” for companies to make people take annual leave for almost any reason they like.

Agree that on the face of it, it’s a bit tight, but without knowing more details it’s hard to say re: your specific job and company.

In that case, could they have been reasonably expected to have worked from home? Walk in?
I can't always drive into the office in heavy snow but I can walk in (might take a bit of time but possible).

Probably it's to stop the inevitable CF who'd make a half hearted effort to come in & say they couldn't manage. Where do you draw the line, how bad would the weather have to be, how hard would you be expected to try

Annual leave seems fairest

No sorry, this is a ridiculous statement. ‘Not fair’ to those working, really?

OP, hopefully in future something will be in place to to ensure workers are correctly compensated if they cannot go to work or work during extreme weather. Today I’m in a red zone where everything has shut down so if you want to talk about fairness there’s a lot to discuss.

We were expected to make up the time on bad weather days, sometimes if it was snowing the local people could get in but people further away couldn't so they just made up the time on other days, people weren't given days off as it wasn't fair. If the site closed though everyone got the day off

It's always been the case in the 40 years I've been working. It used to snow a lot more than now.

Well I suppose it's also unfair to people who move heaven and earth to get in (stay somewhere the night before, leave early, risk the buses) if others can just not.
But if I was a reasonable boss my contingency plan would not ask people to travel if the authorities are requesting 'we only travel when essential' unless work that day is critical and can't be done at home.

It would be worse if you were just forced to have it unpaid, at least by taking out of your holidays you are still getting paid.
You can’t expect your place of work to just pay you to stay at home realistically.

What a load of tosh. Tell me how am I as a community nurse supposed to work if the roads are not passable? More than willing to however cannot safely drive to remote areas down narrow ungritted country lanes. I cannot WFH, I cannot get to work either how is it 'unfair' on people who can wfh?

I had a member of staff who was always off (paid) if it snowed. I looked carefully and others around her where managing to get in. Advised her others were getting to work with no difficulty so she had to take it without pay or make up the time (holidays already in non term time). She was raging.

What else do you propose @malificent7?

It’s about fairness among employees working for the same company, not people in completely different industries. And your issue is about being able to do your job at all, not just getting to work.

The fact is, it isn’t fair on people who live within walking distance of their work or make contingency plans for bad weather. And there will always be some who just don’t bother and jump at the chance for a free day off. I say this as someone who lives in the dales, we are usually the first to get snowed in.

It’s a bit like sick leave isn’t it. If you work for the NHS then you might not be aware of this, but for most employees their sick leave is also unpaid.

It's not the companies fault that the weather is bad though. Either take a day's leave, take it unpaid or work the time back.