Prepare yourselves now for winter
Winter is around the corner and it would be wise to take some time to consider what steps companies need to take to cover themselves for all the eventualities that arise with the bad weather.
Drivers have been warned to prepare for the early arrival of winter weather – meteorologists have been advising that icy conditions could soon grip the country.
Companies should be briefing their employees who drive or cycle to work to get themselves prepared, especially now the clocks have gone back. Health and safety policies and procedures should also be checked to ensure your drivers have had the appropriate training for winter driving.
The Highways Agency every year publishes and promotes safe driving in winter and this year is no different. On their website http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/2244.aspx they advocate that you check your vehicle, take an emergency kit, and change the way you drive. All basic stuff, but they give good additional advice as to how you can achieve the ultimate in winter driving – survivability!
Companies should also consider what actions need to be taken if employees are unable to get into work due to bad weather conditions, a disruption to public transport or other unexpected situation.
If you do not already have a policy in place to deal with such an event, our sister company, Drury PSM, a specialist HR outsourcing company can offer a practical and common sense approach to dealing with these and other emergency incidents that could prevent your business from continuing its normal operations, e.g. floods, fire or serious computer malfunction.
In addition to the question of whether you should reasonably be expected to pay employees who fail to turn up for work, be advised that in circumstances where it would be dangerous to do so, employees should not be expected to attend work and you should have due regard for their health, safety and well being at all times.
Whilst it is accepted that not all businesses can adopt flexible working patterns, advances in modern technology mean that for an increasing number of small and medium businesses, a combination of technology, robust policies and common sense can minimise any adverse impact on the business. Examples include staff logging-in and working from home or carrying out different roles in the workplace, if required.
The aim of such contingency planning is to enable your business to recover from any serious disruption in the minimum amount of time and at the lowest cost. This requires careful preparation and planning and an HR consultant is well placed to deliver this.
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