Bad weather conditions

Generally, there is no legal obligation to pay your staff if they are late in or do not arrive to work at all because of bad weather. They will have to take unpaid or annual leave. Having said that, you should check what is written in your employees’ contracts of employment, as you may have made some concessions.

If your employee is unable to get to work because they need to look after their children because their school is shut, this may qualify as Time Off for Dependents. An employee is entitled to as much of this unpaid time off as a tribunal would see fit.

Ultimately, you should ensure that your policies are clear and applied as fairly as possible.

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact your local TaxAssist Accountant.

Date published 5 Dec 2012

This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.