Snow and work rights: Are you legally entitled to time off? What’s the snow day policy for employees in the UK?

What are your rights as an employee in the snow and ice?

Heavy snowfall has hit the UK, sparking major travel disruption across the south as a severe cold snap grips Britain.

Temperatures have fallen to as low as minus 15.4C with more snow forecast as England and Wales experienced their coldest night for six years.

The Met Office has warned of "treacherous" driving conditions as a severe snow and ice alert covers vast swathes of the country, meaning you could struggle to get into work.

The freezing weather could also even force your place of work to close, while schools up and down the country have had to shut due to the harsh conditions.

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So what are your rights as an employee if you find yourself unable to get into work this week? The Standard takes a look.

What’s the snow day policy for work in the UK?

According to Gov.co.uk: “If the workplace is closed because of disruption and the employee doesn’t usually work from home, employers can’t usually deduct pay.”

However your company could ask you to work from another work place, or ask you to work from home instead.

You must also check to see if your contract has a provision for unpaid lay-off while if you are on a zero hours contract your employee may not have to pay you.

What to do if my child's school is closed due to snow

If your office is open but your child’s school is closed, or your childcare arrangement are otherwise disrupted due to snow, then you are legally entitled to take time off.

This is because is is considered an official emergency by the government, although it will be up to your employer as to whether you get paid or not.

The website states that an employee "could have the right for time off" to look after their child but this needs to be agreed with their employer.

What to do if I can't get to work in the snow

Because it's your responsibility to get into work, employees are not automatically entitled to pay if they’re unable to get to work because of bad weather.

This means your employer has the right to view this as an unauthorised absence, ask you to work from home or even take it as annual leave.

Acas says that all employers will be different and offer alternative suggestions such as swapping shifts, flexible working hours or allowing employees to come in a bit later.​

So who knows, a snow day could be right around the corner... if this weather continues, of course.

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