With industrial action planned on UK railways, travel disruption will be an issue for millions of employees.
As well as this, disruption at ports and airports are likely to continue, causing problems for those returning from holidays.
So, what impact will this have on the workplace, and what do employers need to know?
If an employee misses work due to transport disruption, do they still need to be paid?
Simply put, if an employee is not working their contractual hours, they are not fulfilling their contract of employment.
Therefore, you are within your rights to refuse to pay an employee who misses work, even when their absence or unpunctuality is out of their control.
Despite this, it is good practice to approach this in a reasonable and understanding manner.
How is the hybrid working model affected?
If your employee is unable to get to work, or cannot make it in time due to delays, the most practical answer is for them to work from home that day, if they are set up to do so.
To balance this out, you may ask them to attend work on a later day on which they would normally be working remotely.
Ultimately, this is the choice of the employer.
Can employees take annual leave if affected by travel disruptions?
Taking affected days as paid annual leave may be a good alternative, especially if remote working isn’t possible.
You can ask your employee if they would like to take extra holiday on days they cannot get to work, as many would prefer to do this rather than lose out on pay.
However, this may not always be feasible. For example, an employee may have used their annual leave already.
In this case, you could give your employee the time off as additional unpaid leave, or ask them to make up the time at a later date.
Want to know more? Get in touch.