Flooding, Tube Strikes and the Dreaded Commute to Work

Recent weeks have brought devastation to the South-West following prolonged flooding. The capital has also seen its fair share of disruption, albeit on a much smaller scale, with a 48 Underground stations shut down at the start of February, and avoided further disruption when another strike was postponed a week later at the eleventh hour.

Even for those lucky enough to have avoided having to navigate these events, delayed trains, congested highways and busy bus-lanes are often part and parcel of the every day commute.

Employers are often at the unfortunate end of such occurrences. Employees will often be late to work, or in more serious cases, will call their employer, confirming that they are unable to attend work at all. This is particularly so for the unfortunate individuals who woke up to find their homes flooded.

What should employers do to combat these risks, and the potential fallout from not responding in an appropriate manner?

Developing a travel disruption process, or implementing an Adverse Weather policy is key, not least because employees who are unable to attend work for reasons beyond their control, will often ask whether they will be paid nonetheless. Similarly, many will ask whether they will receive payment for time off to deal with their flooded homes. To avoid this happening to your business, or if you would like to speak to us further about our specifically designed Adverse Weather policy, please get in touch via the website.