Coping with the Elements
Severe-weather absences have battered employers this year, with a recent study saying one-third of worker commutes have been affected in the past three months. Companies can pay a price -- even when workers show up at work.
By David Shadovitz
Snow, sleet and freezing rain may not stop your mail carrier from delivering your letters and packages. But they frequently get in the way of your employees arriving at work and performing their jobs.
In a year that has dumped significant snow in certain regions of the country and generated a record number of tornados in other parts, employers have had to grapple with the many and varied workplace consequences of bad weather, including vacant offices and distracted employees.
In a study released last week by the Workforce Institute and Harris Interactive, one-third of the 2,810 employees questioned said their commutes to and from work were affected by the severe weather during the past three months.
Of them, 23 percent arrived to work late, 16 percent left work early, 6 percent didn't make it to work at all and 5 percent chose to work from home rather than attempt to brave the elements.
Further, 61 percent of those who commute to work on a regular basis said severe weather added time to their usual commute.
U.S. employers are feeling the impact, says Joyce Maroney, director of the Workforce Institute in Chelmsford, Mass. "Whether it's trying to find employees to cover a shift on the day of a big storm, the need to make a snap decision on whether to close or remain open, or dealing with the larger-than-usual number of employees working from home who are over-burdening the network -- the weather is having a real effect on daily operations."
The Workforce Institute was founded by Kronos Inc., a provider of workforce management solutions, including time-and-attendance software.
In her
blog
, Maroney recalls her own commute in the Boston area last December that stretched from one to three hours. "I seriously considered abandoning the Mini Cooper in a snow bank," she writes. "I was relatively fortunate to have a back road alternative. Other friends and colleagues spent up to six or seven hours getting home."
Maroney posted on the blog the advice of David Creelman, one of the Workforce Institute's advisers: "Since extreme weather is not that common, treating people well may be very affordable. It'd be useful to look at this in the big picture. If we have a generous policy towards workers under extreme weather conditions, what will it cost us on average per year? The payoff in employee loyalty could easily surpass that cost."
Too many companies, Maroney says, send a message that "employees have to make every effort to come to work, whatever the weather."
The study found that 20 percent of those with commutes lost a portion of pay because of a weather-related absence.
Admittedly, severe weather is hard to plan for.
Winters can be mild one year and cruel the next. But if you're located in a region of the country that's prone to get hit by snow storms or in a tornado zone, experts say, companies need to have a comprehensive contingency plan in place.
"Between 9/11 and [Hurricane] Katrina and the [California] fires of last summer, companies have been much more conscientious about having a plan in place," says George Faulkner, a principal in the Princeton, N.J., office of Mercer, an HR consulting firm.
"In the last eight years, people have learned a lesson on the importance of handling things correctly and not doing it on the fly," he says.
Though rare, Faulkner says, a handful of companies have implemented inclement weather days and given employees the day off with pay in the event of a severe storm.
Frequently, he says, the nature of the work determines how severe weather is addressed.
"If it's white collar or high tech, companies might not consider it essential that workers be at the worksite and can [encourage workers to] make up the work at home," he says. "But for industries like healthcare, manufacturing and [those that operate] call centers, you have to have people around; so contingency plans are essential."
Companies can pay a price even if employees do show up at work, the study suggests.
Nearly four in 10 (39 percent) of those questioned cite a loss in productivity among those who make it into the office, whether it's the result of discussing the weather with co-workers (76 percent), watching the weather through the window (73 percent) or spending time seeking alternative arrangements for child care or travel (17 percent).
Some experts suggest that severe weather is one more reason for companies to embrace telework.
"Most companies will eventually have something hit them," says Gil Gordon, a telework expert based in Monmouth Junction, N.J. "So to the extent they've made telework a part of how they do things, those companies will be ahead of the game. The ones that haven't given it thought are the ones that will lose in the end."
Even on a good day, Gordon says, "you have people who commute to work and by the time they arrive, they feel like they've put in a full day. So if you add bad weather to that, the problem is only more serious" and the argument for telecommuting becomes even stronger.
March 3, 2008 Copyright 2008© LRP Publications
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