Next time you take a snow day, keep in mind your boss can dock your pay for missing work because of bad weather.
Employment lawyer, Richard Johnson of Kent Employment Law, told Human Resource Management Online’s Nicola Middlemiss, that employers are only obligated to pay for the time actually spent working.
The lawyer explains that taking a snow day is similar to taking a sick day—an unpaid day off, which is different than a paid vacation. But when it comes to family obligations interfering with work, the law is on the side of the employees, because such cases fall under human rights legislation.
He adds, for instance, if an employee has to stay at home because their child or children had to stay at home snowed in, the employer must respect that.
Johnson further explains that bosses can’t typically ask their workers to make up time lost to bad weather or family commitments by staying back at the office to finish off work.
To employers, Johnson advises to err on the side of caution, better than getting wrangled in a legal battle over lost wages due to uncontrollable circumstances. Employees can’t do much unless there’s a human rights legislation angle to their case.
For the original article head to http://www.hrmonline.ca/hr-news/docking-pay-on-snowday--is-it-legal-187734.aspx
Employment lawyer, Richard Johnson of Kent Employment Law, told Human Resource Management Online’s Nicola Middlemiss, that employers are only obligated to pay for the time actually spent working.
The lawyer explains that taking a snow day is similar to taking a sick day—an unpaid day off, which is different than a paid vacation. But when it comes to family obligations interfering with work, the law is on the side of the employees, because such cases fall under human rights legislation.
He adds, for instance, if an employee has to stay at home because their child or children had to stay at home snowed in, the employer must respect that.
Johnson further explains that bosses can’t typically ask their workers to make up time lost to bad weather or family commitments by staying back at the office to finish off work.
To employers, Johnson advises to err on the side of caution, better than getting wrangled in a legal battle over lost wages due to uncontrollable circumstances. Employees can’t do much unless there’s a human rights legislation angle to their case.
For the original article head to http://www.hrmonline.ca/hr-news/docking-pay-on-snowday--is-it-legal-187734.aspx
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