When you’re starting to drown between employee concerns, payroll duties and helping your CEO -- HR Insider is there to help get the logistical work out of the way.
Need a policy because of a recent regulatory change? We’ve got it for you. Need some quick training on a specific HR topic? We’ve got it for you. HR Insider provides the resources you need to craft, implement and monitor policies with confidence. Our team of experts (which includes lawyers, analysts and HR professionals) keep track of complex legislation, pending changes, new interpretations and evolving case law to provide you with the policies and procedures to keep you ahead of problems. FIND OUT MORE...
Adverse Weather Policy

Adapt this model adverse weather policy for your company’s HR and OHS policies, its operations, the collective agreement (if applicable) and the employment standards and OHS laws in your jurisdiction. Make sure that all staff members are trained on it.

Policy Statement

When the workplace remains open during periods of inclement weather, workers should make every effort to report to work. Recognizing that some workers may find it difficult to report for work during periods of inclement weather due to road conditions, family responsibilities or transportation problems, the Company will make every effort to accommodate workers' requests for leave, subject to the operational requirements of the workplace.

Responsibilities

Departments: It is the responsibility of individual departments to develop an action plan ensuring the continuation of vital departmental operations during times of adverse weather or when a state of emergency is declared.

Workers: It is the responsibility of workers to make every effort to come to work during periods of adverse weather when the workplace remains open.

State Of Emergency

With the exception of those workers designated by the Company as required to remain at or report to work, workers will receive leave with pay during the period of closure when a state of emergency has been declared.

The Employer may require any worker to report for duty during any period of the declared emergency. Workers who are required to report to work will, when necessary and where possible, be supplied by the Company with transportation to and from their place of work. Workers who, without good reason, refuse the offer of transportation may be subject to disciplinary action.

Workplace Closures Due To Adverse Weather

The Company may decide to close the workplace due to adverse weather conditions. If the decision to close the workplace is made before the start of the normal workday, a message to this effect will be [insert how message will be communicated, such as posted on the Company website, emailed to workers, sent out via text message, etc.]. When the workplace is closed prior to the start of the workday, workers (other than those on approved leave or those who are designated by the Company as required to remain at or report to work) will be credited with a full day of work.

If a decision to close the workplace is made after the start of the workday, this decision will be communicated to all department heads for transmittal to workers. When the workplace closes during the workday due to adverse weather, those workers who reported to work and remained at work until the offices were officially closed will be credited for a full day of work. Workers who are on sick leave, or who have previously approved annual or paid leave, time off in lieu of overtime or leave without pay, prior to the workplace’s closing will be required to take that leave as previously requested and approved.

Employees Who Do Not Report To Work

When the workplace closes during the work day due to adverse weather, those workers who informed their supervisors that they would not report to work due to the adverse weather will be required to take annual leave, paid leave, time off in lieu of overtime or leave without pay. The number of hours of leave required will be based on the worker’s regular work schedule and the time the workplace was officially closed.

Example: A worker has a regular 7-hour work day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with an hour lunch break from 12:30pm to 1:30 pm. If the workplace closed during the work day due to adverse weather and the worker notified the office that he/she would not report to work because of the adverse weather, then:

  • If the workplace closed at 11:30am, the worker would be required to use three (3) hours of paid leave, annual leave, accumulated leave in lieu of overtime or leave without pay.
  • If the workplace closed at 3:30pm, the worker would be required to use six (6) hours of paid leave, annual leave, accumulated leave in lieu of overtime or leave without pay.

Other Absences:

Workers who are prevented from reporting to work due to the closure of subsidiary roads, ferry operations, side streets, driveways, private roads or main roads, will be required to take annual leave, paid leave, time off in lieu of overtime or leave without pay.

Special circumstances which warrant workers leaving work early may be considered by the department head and annual leave, paid leave, time off in lieu of overtime or leave without pay granted accordingly.