What does your place of work do about snow?

[PatsGirl]

I work in healthcare and although I am not an "essential" employee I am required to show up for work unless it has been decided that no one be on the roads. I always do my best to get there because so many employees, including the essentials, figure if the white stuff hits the streets then it's a day off. There's always a handful of us that keep the building going and most of us can do everything needed: personal care, receptionist, cook, clean, laundry, respond to emergencies, etc.

A few years ago, we got 3' of snow and only a few nurses and CNAs showed up. That handful of us managed to keep everyone cared for over many days while many called and whined about no daycare, no 4X4, husbands at work, etc.

I just wish someone would notice (and give thanks) for the many times we show up to do what management doesn't show up to do....

 

[Christine]

Sorry but that just drives me crazy. How stupid does the company have to be? You're working a field that can easily be adapted to telecommuting (all that's needed is a decent broadband connection, teleconferencing and Skype) but the idiot bosses require employees to put their vehicles out on the roads for what? Do they not realize this is exactly why we're having such a hard time clearing all the roads?

Not all office jobs lend themselves to teleworking.

When I was contractor for the federal government, 90% of my job was "facetime" with my client, in the client's office and we basically "hashed out" things. Most people on my team worked in this manner. Our jobs were not deskbound administrative stuff. The other 10% of the job was typing up/preparing papers that related to the "hashing out" stuff. So, if my client, who was a government employee, was shut down, there was VERY little I could do at home to fill an 8 hour day.

Now, I work for the government and have had my third day off. Even my current job doesn't lend itself well to telecommuting. When I work at home, I have absolutely no access to any shared files (which I used all day) and am not allowed to access certain network resources that are required for my job (security issues). So, unless I happen to have a big project where I can carry stuff home and work on it, I can't telework. In my 2 years with the government, I've only been able to do it 4 times. Two of those times were for my annual training courses that take about 6 hours, and the other two were for big data conversion projects that did not require my access to certain resources.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I have always worked in offices that, we only got paid if we came to work. For years, I was the one that made it into the office most days.

However, now that I am a bit older, I careful weight everything. What if I try to get to work and wreck my car? Then where am I? If I feel I can safely get to work, then I go. If not, I stay home. I have even attempted to go to work on a couple occasions, only to turn around and go back home.

Getting to work is not risking my life or my car. In the end, it will only be more out of my pocket if I have an accident. Life will go on if I don't make it to work.

I totally agree with this. We got from 10 inches to a foot of snow last night. In order to same money on overtime, all the counties in Mid-Michigan shut down the plows from around 4:00 yesterday to 4:00 this morning. It's going to take time for them to get the main streets open, let alone the side street that I have to take to get to the main street.

DH has to go in: he's an essential employee. But as far as my private employer is concerned, I'm going to be going in later on this morning after the roads are passable and rush hour is over. I'll take vacation time or lose pay. Either way, it's a better economical choice than getting stuck, getting into an accident or sliding off the road and having to pay those costs.

Road crews, fire rescue & police have enough to deal with beside yanking some idiot advertiser out of a ditch...

I wish more people thought this way. It's not just a matter of getting in so you can put your face time in at work. You're also in the way of road-clearing crews and emergency crews. Not to mention that if you slide off or have an accident, now you're another number that they'll have to deal with by being outside with other cars going by that could just as easily kill THEM while they're trying to help you.

Like Disney 1990, I'm older. I don't work in an essential field such as emergency services or IT. So if I don't have to be out there (as early) clogging up the roads, then I'm not going to be.

 

[mickeyboat]

I only live one mile from my work, so I always make it in. Several employees live far from work, and would "work from home," aka paid day off, if the roads were bad. Sometimes I would be the only person in the office and my boss would call and tell me to go home.

Snow is rarely an excuse not to go to work around here.

 

[LoraJ]

I have to go in to work today so that everyone who stays home can watch TV.

If we don't get in we have to take a sick or vacay day. They are providing us with hotel rooms tonight that are close to work. This is the first time I took them up on that offer. It will be nice to sleep in tomorrow and have a 5 minute commute.

 

[mrs_hower726]

With my job, if the weather looks iffy, they cancel meetings (I work for a weight loss company) and we don't go in. I'm not sure about full-timers and pay, I'm part-time so I don't get paid. Today I don't mind at all.

DH usually has to go in regardless of weather, but he gets the day off since they called a state of emergency and he is not essential personnel. Who knows what kind of paid day off he has to take but we don't care. He's home safe and sound and I didn't have to drive him to work!

 

[Mkrop]

UPDATE: Brother's office is closed so he did not have to go in, dont know how they will get paid but he got a text not to go in.


PA has not declared a state of emergency as far as I know, but DE has. We are close to the border of DE.

It is pretty bad here, coming down super hard and alternating btw snow and rain.

Now my other brother and his finacee are complaining bc they had to take vacation days, they are apartment mangaers. I guess I need to tell him to put on his big boy pants. Althoug I am sure in the end his employer will do the right thing!

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I'm working from home today but my big boss that lives 25 minutes away made it into the office. I was going to try but DH freaks out with me in the snow. I spoke to my boss and I was working by 7:30 in the morning.
So I probably won't be charged a vacation day but if they do, so be it.
Nothing I can do about it.
And DH is disabled so even though he likes to shovel the snow it isn't good for him to be outside too long. I really like to help him and get it done in less than half the time. I make DD spread the ice melt and clean the cars while we do the sidewalks and driveway.

 

[OK!]

Back when I worked downtown, if the snow got really awful during the course of the day the company would put us up in nearby hotels. They always recommended that we keep a duffle bag with a change of clothes in the office just in case that situation came up.

Otherwise, they were pretty accomodating if we were already home and couldn't get to work. It never happened to me, but my friends were able to take vacation days to cover it.

Of course, now my whole team telecommutes, so it's a moot point for us.

 

[daughtersrus]

A friend of mine works for Chase (not a branch but in the mortgage dept) and not only do they have to go in, if they are late even 1 minute, they are written up. If they have 3 write-up in a year, they are fired. He was late on day last month when we had a big storm. His boss said that he had to write him up but next time he's going to be late, he would be better off to take a sick day. The problem is that they only get 5 sick days so they can go pretty quickly.

We're in the suburbs of Chicago where it's common to take more than twice as long to get to/from work when the snow hits at rush hour.

 

[jen0610]

They usually work with us on time and pay.

One of the owners made it in today and seeing as all of the girls made it in and on time or very close to on time, while only 3 of the 7 men had made it in by 9 o'clock, he is going to buy our lunch today. We all had brought something in, but that can sit in the fridge until Thursday.

 

[AndreaDM]

I work for a non-profit in very rural Ohio and have about an hour commute. My boss is VERY understanding and accommodating in regards to the weather. I have to travel a number of very hilly, windy back roads to get home and have had some very harrowing experiences, so she usually sends me packing at the first sign of snow. The roads get bad very quickly and take a while to get plowed. If the county declares the roads a level 2 or higher, our office is closed with pay. It was a level 3 yesterday and a level 2 today so I'm home safe and sound! If we know a storm is coming we usually take some work home with us too - I have things I can do from any computer so I will probably put in at least a few hours from home today, but in my pj's! As a non-profit, non of us have big salaries and the benefits are minimal, so time off is one way our board helps us out and one of the reasons I do make the commute.

I agree with a pp that said all those people out on the roads clogging everything up do more harm than good. My husband works for a landscape company as a landscape architect, but also helps plow snow in the winter. If people would just stay put for a little while it would make the plow trucks jobs a lot easier!

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

I work at a hotel, so during snowstorms they put us up overnight. My morning commute is only as long at the evelator ride and the walk over to the office.

 

[mellvswdw1]

I am a small business owner in Northeastern Indiana, we got a few inches of snow yesterday, and somehow my team member and I made it to work

I just had to let go of an employee because that individual couldn't seem to find their way into the office on time, or at all, and that person lived closer to the office then the rest of us...lol.

The way I look at it is, why should I pay you while you sit all cozy in your pj's, and somehow, someway I trudge through the snow and work all day. Just my humble opinion

 

[frndshpcptn]

I work in NYC (and live here too). No excuses for not coming in. I have a one block walk to the subway and then a 10 minute ride to the stop near my office. A few more blocks walked and I'm here. Everyone is in today, except the few people who live more than an hour away from the city.

It's totally a normal work day for me

 

[marcyinPA]

I have to go in to work today so that everyone who stays home can watch TV.

If we don't get in we have to take a sick or vacay day. They are providing us with hotel rooms tonight that are close to work. This is the first time I took them up on that offer. It will be nice to sleep in tomorrow and have a 5 minute commute.

My DH worked for a local TV station when we were dating and first married, so I totally understand! The TV station never closes! Worse yet, he ran the "Storm Center" school closings list, so when it snowed, the pager would start beeping around 4:00 am....and off he went! He had a four wheel drive vehicle then, thank goodness! There were many a winter that he was stuck at work for a few days at a time though. And then holidays...yikes...I used to bring him food from Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter dinner, and he'd eat it sitting in the control booth! He never got a real break for meals...he really couldn't leave the booth!

 

[ZPT1022]

We're in CT and no snow yet, but DH called to tell me that after his 10:30 appointments he has nothing on his schedule. However, they have been told that even if they go home, they may have to go out if there is a phone problem. People can deal without cable or internet but apparently phone is considered a lifeline service and has to be fixed no matter what. I personally find it hard to believe that there are a lot of people these days that don't have access to another phone via a cell phone or something but what do I know.


Me, I'm sitting at home (SAHM) wondering why my kids couldn't have at least gone in for a half day. No snow yet and they are already antsy, but it's too cold to go out in the yard and if snow is imminent I'm not heading out anywhere. This promises to be a looooooong day

 

[ccgirl]

It's not like he lives in Texas where they are not used to snow. I have always needed to use a vacation day unless it was a state of emergency. I always left myself 3 vacation days for this reason. He definitely needs to get out of college mode. I wouldn't complain, especially not in this economy. There are people who would trudge through fire, ice, snow etc just to have a job.

 

[DWGal210]

I work in a non-profit/family foundation but we are part of a larger business that deals in the financial markets, so as long as the markets are open, we are too.

My boss is very understanding - I don't have the kind of job where I deal with the markets, so if I needed to, I could work from home for a day.

In the beginning of December we had one of the worst blizzards on record. I didn't come in that day, mostly because I live in a condo and even after they plowed us out, 15 minutes later the snow was totally blocking the driveway and our garages. So I stayed home; the office was open that day, but only about 1/4 of the people were brave and made it in. They ended up closing the office early that day (around 1:30PM) since the state patrol said they were taking plows and non-essential police off the roads and people had better get home. But that's the only time I know of that we closed early.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

If the highways are closed then people at my work that live outside the city can't get in/out and have to take a day from their holiday bank. Otherwise they are expected to be in to work.
If the city roads are full of snow we have a contingency plan where we have drivers that will come out to get us or bring us home.
I work in a 24/7 emergency center and we need to get staff in and out.
Where I live we frequently have snow/ice issues and we all live with it.