Workers who've worked from home on Tuesday due to UK snow may not get paid

Millions of workers who've worked from home on Tuesday and Wednesday have been warned over snow day rights. More than 220 schools have been closed across the UK after heavy snowfall overnight and this morning and The Met Office says snow and ice warnings will remain in place in parts of the country into tomorrow.

Thousands of rail passengers have experienced disruption with networks across the UK reporting delays. Neha Thethi, head of employment at Lime Solicitors, said: "On a general note, employers do not have to pay employees who are unable to get into work, subject to their contract.

“Employees are expected to make reasonable efforts to attend work despite any severe transport disruption or road closures. However, it is usually best practice to be flexible in these circumstances by allowing employees to request the time off as annual leave or to work from home.

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“With the help of technology and working adjustments made during the coronavirus pandemic, many employees should be able to work from home. However, it is important to remember your employer should not force you to attempt the journey if there are legitimate concerns for your safety.”

But your workplace has closed for the day, then you should still get paid. Ms Thethi said: “If your employer has closed the office because it is inaccessible, they should usually still pay employees for that day. Withholding pay when employees are unable to work through no fault of their own could be considered as an unauthorised deduction from wages.

“In those circumstances, employees may be able to bring a claim against their employer. However, it should be noted that some employment contracts contain a temporary ‘lay-off’ clause. If this is the case, employers can refuse to give the full amount of pay to employees to a limited time.”