Flexible and remote working options
Where a role can be done remotely, adverse weather is a straightforward situation to manage. Employees work from home and are paid as normal. If your business operates a hybrid model, you likely already have the infrastructure for this. If not, it’s worth thinking in advance about which roles could adapt temporarily and what equipment or access employees would need.
For roles that genuinely cannot be done remotely, the options are more limited. Consider whether shift swaps are possible, whether temporary adjustments to duties could allow someone to work, or whether allowing a late start once conditions improve is practical. Rigid attendance expectations during a Met Office Level 3 or 4 weather warning are rarely reasonable and can damage trust significantly.
School closures and dependant care
Adverse weather often coincides with school or nursery closures, particularly in winter. Employees have a statutory right under the Employment Rights Act 1996 to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with dependant care emergencies. A school closure caused by snow qualifies. This right applies from day one of employment and cannot be removed by contract.
The leave is unpaid as a statutory minimum, but many employers choose to pay it as goodwill, particularly for a single day. What matters is that your approach is consistent and communicated clearly before the situation arises, not improvised on the morning it happens.
Health and safety in extreme weather
Your health and safety obligations extend beyond the office when extreme weather is involved. If employees need to drive for their role, you should carry out a risk assessment before asking them to travel in severe conditions and follow local travel advice. Asking a driver to travel when the Met Office has advised against it creates significant liability if something goes wrong.
For office-based employees, there is no legal maximum workplace temperature in the UK, but HSE guidance on workplace temperature is clear that employers must take reasonable steps to maintain a safe and comfortable working environment during extreme heat. Practical steps include providing fans, adjusting dress codes, allowing regular breaks and considering early finishes or remote working on very hot days.
In winter, adequate heating, safe access routes and gritting of car parks and entrances are all part of your duty of care. Employers who fail to maintain safe premises during adverse weather face liability for any resulting injury.
Why you need an adverse weather policy
Without a clear policy, managers are left to make individual decisions under pressure, often with inconsistent results. One manager sends their team home early. Another insists everyone stays. Someone is paid for their absence, someone else isn’t. These inconsistencies create resentment, grievances and, in some cases, tribunal claims.
An adverse weather policy should cover: when the policy applies (triggered by specific weather warnings or school closures); pay arrangements for different scenarios; how employees should report absence or travel delays; what remote working options apply; and manager responsibilities during the event. It doesn’t need to be long. A single clear page is more useful than a detailed document nobody reads.
What you should do now
- Check whether your employment contracts address adverse weather and pay. If they’re silent, your policy needs to be clear enough to fill that gap.
- Make sure your managers know what the approach is before adverse weather happens, not during it.
- Review your risk assessment for employees who drive or work outdoors. Does it cover adverse weather scenarios?
- Consider your approach to extreme heat, not just cold. HSE guidance is clear that employers have obligations here too.
- If you don’t have an adverse weather policy, now is a good time to put one in place.
How Limelite can help
We help organisations across Worcestershire, Birmingham, the Midlands and the wider UK put the right policies in place before situations arise. An adverse weather policy is one of the simplest, most practical HR documents a business can have, and one of the most commonly missing. Our HR project support team can draft it for you alongside a broader policy review, or we can support you on an ongoing basis through our retained HR service.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call
About the author
Helen Scullion Assoc. CIPD, HR Client Manager at Limelite HR & Learning. Helen supports organisations with day-to-day HR management, employee relations and practical people support. Connect with Helen on LinkedIn.
