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Keeping Employees Safe in Winter Weather
7 November 2024
'Tis the season to worry about how winter weather can impact your business. Here are some tips to help you plan for what to do.
That's right, 'tis the season to worry about:
- Your employees being able to get to work, and
- Driving your company vehicles in nasty road conditions!
Working in Minnesota, we know to expect extreme weather every winter - blizzards, icy roads, frigid temperatures - and the impact this can have on businesses. If you live somewhere with a lighter season, like Texas, Florida, or Arizona, winter weather can cause an even bigger problem because you don't have the infrastructure to deal with a surprise ice storm. (And by the way - our winter weather tips can be adjusted to accommodate hurricanes or other natural disasters that cause similar business impacts, so don't skip this just because you aren't expecting snow this winter!)
It's best to plan ahead for how to maintain your business when weather causes issues. In extreme cases you may want to shut down operations to keep everyone safe, but there are many things to consider and steps involved before you do so. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you make preparations:
- What factors will you consider in making a plan? We recommend following the news for a "state of emergency" or extreme weather warning that suggests employees should not be on the road. You can let them work from home if their tasks allow, but technicians should not be expected to drive through extreme road conditions for jobs. Don't forget a plan to determine when conditions become "good enough" to get back to work so you're not offline longer than necessary.
- Who will make the decision? We recommend you designate one clear-headed company leader who can balance the needs of the company, the employees, and the general public. While this person can consult with others for advice, it's often easier to make a quick decision when just one person is authorized to make the call.
- When will you make the call? Employees need enough notification to stay off dangerous roads... but if you make the call too soon, sometimes the weather "warning" fades into a mild inconvenience and you've shut down for no reason. We suggest you make the final call no later than one hour before your employees start work, but it could be the night before if you're certain that weather will be an issue (if you've already got a foot of snow on the ground and there's no sign of stopping...).
- How will you communicate the decision to shut down (or maintain) operations? Any well-structured plan can work: individual phone calls, mass email, using a phone tree to designate who calls who, group chat. Just make sure there's a plan in place.
- Do employees know what to expect? Make sure they know when/how they'll receive information and what their obligations are.
- What about individual exceptions? You may decide to keep operations going, but an employee tells you they feel unsafe driving or are unable to get to work. In Minnesota, we've seen a number of legitimate situations: an employee whose house got double the snow because of the blizzard's unique path; one whose road wasn't snowplowed until late in the day so they legitimately couldn't leave their driveway; an employee who needed time for an urgent appointment to get worn car tires replaced before driving in even moderately slippery conditions; or one who spent an hour in stopped traffic, just a few minutes from home, before deciding to turn around and work from home rather than spending the whole day parked on the freeway. Individual situations can differ, and employees should not be penalized if they have a legitimate concern for their safety or an inability to get to the job.
- How will you handle accidents? Winter weather brings an accident risk, so we recommend additional training for employees who drive company vehicles. And confirm that everyone's clear on your company's accident policy and what to do if the worst occurs.
Planning ahead is key. Make sure everyone knows what to expect and you'll have peace of mind this winter, knowing you can handle whatever curveball the weather throws at you.
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