Can Employees Use Sick Days for Snow Days?
In February 2010, I wrote a post about snow days describing the mounting interruptions caused by the weather during a tough winter. Who knew that less than one year later the accumulations would seem almost mild? Winter 2010/2011 is not yet over and questions about snow days for employees are mounting as quickly as total accumulations.
Sick days should be for illness--mostly
I think that sick time should be reserved for employee illness or to take care of a sick family member. My position is softening a bit as I look out my window at a few feet of snow that does not seem to be melting. This year may be an exception. If you have developed a snow day policy it is unlikely that you planned to pay the team for 5 or 6 days or more. If you have
sick days it may be time to make a snow storm exception and allow employees to use them. When I left my house on Wednesday I could have easily ended up with more than a day away from work if I broke my ankle as I slid down my ice-covered driveway.
If you decide to allow the exception, be specific about the dates that it can be used on. You don’t want to create a blanket policy that finds employees calling out sick when spring showers arrive.
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Developing a weather interruption policy
Not every part of the U.S. has been adversely affected by snow and ice; there are other weather events that cause business interruptions. You may choose to create a policy that
addresses any kind of severe weather or stick to one that kicks in when piles of the white stuff force you to close your doors. A policy can be created to allow a specific number of paid days per year, if your facility is closed or there is an emergency that prohibits travel, or you can announce a protocol when each episode occurs.
Whatever you decide you will have to make determinations about how and when employees are allowed to work from home and payment for exempt vs. non-exempt staff.
Employees can use available PTO
If you have a general policy that allows paid time off (PTO) and does not segregate benefit days into buckets for vacation, sick and personal days you skip the question about whether available time can be used during a blizzard. I am a big fan of PTO policies as more relevant for today’s workforce. They take some of the policing out of identifying reasons for time
off and can be easier to track and administer than a list of diverse days with varying eligibility.
While the adoption of PTO policies is growing if you are planning a change it’s important to take steps to make certain that employees understand the new system and don’t feel cheated out of time.
RELATED: 5 Tips for Creating a Volunteer Time Off Program at Your Company
