It’s that time of the year – when snow and ice give business owners one big headache!
While we are still waiting for our first big snow in Kentucky, others in the Northeast have already been covered. There is no better time than now to get your inclement weather policy updated!
The major topics you’ll want to address include:
- When employees should not attempt to come to the office (e.g., snowy or icy conditions, school closings).
- Whether employees will be expected to work from home if the office is closed or they can’t make it in.
- How the time off will be paid, if at all. As the employer, you can decide whether employees will have the option of taking unpaid time off or if you will deplete their vacation or paid time off (PTO) bank. But be sure not to take a deduction from exempt employee wages if PTO is unavailable, and don’t require employees to use their protected sick leave if you’re in a state that requires that benefit. (More on this below.)
To read in more detail about how to create your organization’s snow day policy, click here to read this blog.
Let’s go back to item #3 listed above.
Not only is it important to have your inclement weather policy written and communicated to your team, but it is also important to know how to handle compensation when your business opens late, closes early, or closes for an entire day due to inclement weather.
Keeping within FLSA guidelines is imperative to creating and using inclement weather policies, because the guidelines dictate how to properly compensate employees during closures.
Remember this:
Compensation for inclement weather closures is different for non-exempt and exempt employees.
For more details on how to approach each exemption status, read our blog here.
If you need help creating or updating your inclement weather policy, you can contact the HR professionals at Integrity HR – we’d be happy to help you!
Just give us a call at 877-753-0970 or fill out this form here.
And…just another friendly reminder that when it comes to inclement weather…safety always comes first!
Enjoy the weather – and stay safe out there!
