Template Adverse Weather & Travel Disruption Policy

Employers could instruct staff to use holidays for a closure day, provided they give them double the amount of notice in advance as the number of days they wish them to use (in line with the Working Time Regulations) – in this case 2 days' notice to take one day's leave. However, that may not have been possible on this occasion (given the short notice warning of the red weather alert), and therefore pay would be due (as arguably the employees would otherwise be ready and able to work under their contract).

If the business remained open, but the employees were simply unable to get to work due to the adverse weather/travel disruptions, then they would not be entitled to pay. Common options for dealing with this are to allow employees to:
• use holiday,
• take a day of special unpaid leave,
• work from home (where the role permits), or
• make up unworked hours at another time.

For the staff member who was off on holiday on the closure day, there is no obligation for the employer to provide that employee with an additional day's leave.

I have attached a Template Adverse Weather & Travel Disruption Policy which could be used by members, or we can include in the next handbook review, if that would be helpful.

This document was drawn up following the Red Weather warning on Friday 24th January 2025.

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