Pay for time office closed - Hurricane Rita

tpace · September 2005

We closed our offices last Thursday and Friday to allow our staff and their employees to safely evacuate the Houston area due to the projected route of Hurricane Rita making landfall in Galveston.

We requested that all employees contact me on Sunday. On Sunday, management decided to officially re-open for business on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. When I spoke with employees on Sunday, I requested anyone that was able to come in to the office on Monday to please show up around noon to assist in getting our systems back up and running for business on Tuesday. About 1/2 of the staff showed up. We are going to pay all employees (exempt & non-exempt) for the time the office was closed (Thursday, Friday, and Monday). We are not applying any PTO and attendance policy does not apply for these days.

This evening an employee called and stated she would not be in because she does not have a sitter for her 10 year old (school district closed until Wednesday), and wants to know if we will pay her for Tuesday also.

Your thoughts please. (We are located in Houston and all of our employees have returned to their homes, all have power, etc.)

Thank you,

Whirlwind · September 2005

My thoughts are: No, that's what PTO is for.

LivindonSouth · September 2005

We did virtually the same during and following Katrina. Did not even consider applying the attendance policy. Additionally, any exempt who for reasons of personal or family safety or tragedy had to miss a couple of days after we reopened, we ignored that too.

But, ya gotta draw the line somewhere. I think your decision was generous and the right one.

smkrause · September 2005

Last year when we were hit with Hurricanes Jeanne and Francis we paid the employees for days that we were closed and did not apply the attendance policy. However if an employee was unable to work once we were open they had to use the CT or VAC.

We also paid a small cash bonus to the employees who voluntarily came in the day before we re-opened to help get clean up and get the offices back inorder before we even had power and for those that voluntarily came in the day beofre we closed to help prepare the building.

2445428 · September 2005

We just recently went thru Hurricane Rita and Katrina, and were closed for 2 days and we paid employees for those 2 days without deducting from their leave bank. When the office reopens, and an employee cannot make it in, then we deduct time from their leave bank.

E Wart · September 2005

It sounds as if you have been more than generous through this terrible ordeal. I guess my question to the employee is what would she have done if child was sick and couldn't go to school? You would not necessarily pay employee (unless pto) during this period and maybe she should handle the same.
E Wart

pork1 · September 2005

I would review and refer to my Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and company policy & procedures, thus acting, accordingly. EAP is an OSHA safety issue and should have been used to cover this sort of situation. Being generous is one thing but being put behind the "rock and a hard place" is not where the company needs or should be. Like Don writes"you have to draw the line somewhere". Not having an EAP would require you to follow other precedent setting situations, like one above wrote, "how would you handle theis situation if the case included the circumstance as a sick child (I add) or a broken down car? PTO or unpaid leave is where I would end up. Our schools even far North from the MISSISSIPPI Guls Coast were closed due to the tornatic activity through out our state of both Katrina and Rita. Even we had child care issues and what to do. One brought her child to work with her and then took off for a while after she found her mother to "child sit", she then came back once she was able to transfer her child to her mother. Work with the ee during these strange periods, but have written procedures and everyone will know what to expect and your response will be more easily received and appreciated.

PORK

Pay for time office closed - Hurricane Rita

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