Snow Your Employment Rights!

What are your rights if you are unable to get to work because of the snow?

Employees are not automatically entitled to pay if they are unable to get to work because of adverse weather conditions. However, employers may have contractual or custom arrangements in place to deal with this, and both ACAS and the Government advice website encourage employers to agree sensible arrangements with their employees. The legal starting point is that any leave taken, whether authorised or not, will be unpaid unless it is taken as annual leave. However, this can depend on the circumstances, and it is open for employers to put in place special provisions dealing with adverse weather in either the contract of employment, handbook or relevant policies. This could include paid leave, or the option to work from home.