Travel disruption, from time to time can affect an employee’s ability to get to work or even at all. In situations like public transport cancellations all the way to severe weather, employers and employees should consider how this could impact your workforce.
Always plan ahead
The best thing to do would be to put a ‘adverse weather’ or ‘journey into work’ policy into place. This will in turn deal with the steps that employees are required to take and try to get into work on time and how the business will continue if they cannot. Deciding how to deal with lateness and what will happen with regard to pay is a good option. Having such a policy should mean there is much less scope for confusion and disagreement.
Flexible where possible
More flexible approaches to situations such a working hours and location may be effective if possible. The handling of travelling problems and poor weather can be an opportunity for an employer to enhance staff morale and productivity by the way it is handled for example is there opportunity to work from home. Other options such as alterative work patterns can also work.
Use information technology
Information technology could be useful when situations such as not being able to get to work happen. The use of laptops, tablets and smart phones from home can be a viable option when stranded.
If Employees are unable to get to work they are not automatically entitled to pay
An employer does not have to pay their staff for travel days unless the travel itself is constituted as working time or in some situations where the employer provides the transport. They could however have contractual, collective or custom practice arrangements in place for this. Some organisations offer discretionary payments for travel disruption or have their own informal arrangements for this purpose. Such arrangements are normally contained in staff contracts or handbooks or through collective agreements.
