Firms urged to let staff work from home

12 April 2012

Both sides of industry today urged firms to let staff work from home to minimise the huge cost to business of the chaos caused by the bad weather.

Millions of workers in southern England woke up to near-blizzard conditions this morning, with roads covered with ice and snow and rail services badly affected, leaving some with no chance of getting to the office.

The cost to British industry, especially the retail trade, is likely to be in the tens of millions of pounds every day as shoppers stay at home, staff struggle to get to work and disruption mounts.

The TUC said that while people should make every reasonable effort to get into work, employees should not attempt to travel if it is not safe to do so, particularly if they live in isolated areas.

Employers in areas of the country already affected by the snowy conditions should already have put out advice to their staff and employers based in areas yet to be hit should be doing so now, said the union organisation.

Firms were also encouraged to make sure people did not get trapped at work, unable to travel home later in the day, as that could cost more to sort out.

With the snow causing problems on the UK's transport network, the TUC said it made sense for employers to allow staff who are able to do so to work from home rather than struggle for hours to get to the office.

Many employers already have bad weather policies which set out what is expected of staff and what they should do when snow, ice and a lack of public transport prevents them from getting into work.

The TUC also urged firms not to dock the pay of workers caught up in the chaos, or force them to take holiday, warning this could cause unnecessary resentment to employees kept away from work through no fault of their own.

General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Across the country, people are braving the elements to get into work, but with the snow still falling and the cold and icy weather set to stay with us for a good few days to come, we need a sensible approach to getting into work. Employers and workers must keep each other informed as to whether it's safe, or even possible, to commute to and from work.

"For many the bad weather and lack of public transport have already made their commute impossible, but many employers will have bad weather policies in place so staff are clear as to what is expected of them.

"Scrooge bosses who dock pay and take away holiday are needlessly adding to their business woes by creating resentment amongst staff. Workers who have been prevented from getting to work despite their best efforts should not have to foot the bill for the bad weather conditions."

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said a combination of technology and common sense on the part of employers and employees could minimise the impact of the disruption.

Where people can log in to work from home, or where "thinking time" can be arranged, there was a real opportunity to minimise the cost to business of the travel chaos.

Rebecca Clake, organisation and resourcing adviser at the CIPD, said: "Employers need to carefully consider opportunities and options available if the weather conditions do stop employees making it in. Many companies that have put in place the technology and management practices to allow home working, reap the benefits at a time like this."

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