Power cuts and severe weather - what employers should consider
Rebecca Ah-Chin-Kow · Posted on: January 28th 2026 · read
The UK experienced a significant cold snap at the start of the year, with Arctic air bringing widespread snow, ice and travel disruption across large parts of the country. Multiple weather warnings for snow and ice remained in force, and conditions were expected to stay wintry for several days, with further snow, strong winds and heavy rain possible in mid-January and the remainder of the month. These conditions have
Because of this, employers need to think practically and humanly about attendance, safety and pay when weather, travel and power are all working against everyone.
Safety first:
Don’t expect employees to travel into work if it isn’t safe. Slippery roads, cancelled trains, and dangerous walking conditions are real and still unfolding. Staff should only be asked to attend the workplace if there is safe access, adequate lighting and heating, and it’s reasonable for them to be there without risking injury. If street lighting and transport links are affected, that’s a legitimate barrier to attendance.
Workplace practicality:
In many roles, people simply can’t be productive without power, heating or connectivity. Footfall isn’t a virtue if they can’t see, log into systems, or move safely around the building.
Be flexible with how and where work gets done:
- Let people work from home if they have heating, lighting, power and internet.
- Conversely, if someone’s home is freezing and their workplace is better equipped, letting them come in or staggering their hours can be a sensible compromise.
- If schools or childcare providers close at short notice due to weather, be ready to adjust hours or allow remote work where feasible.
Pay and contracts:
If an employee is ready and willing to work but can’t due to power cuts or severe weather during their normal hours, they are typically still entitled to be paid. Contracts with Short-Time Working or Lay-Off clauses give you the right to reduce hours or lay staff off temporarily (with statutory guarantee pay where required). Use these provisions sensibly - remember people may already be under financial strain.
Another option is asking staff to take annual leave during extended disruptions; however, there are minimum notice requirements for leave that might not be practical if the timing of bad weather or outages isn’t predictable.
It is vital that employers are consistent when considering the various alternatives to work during severe weather periods, but this doesn’t necessarily mean treating everyone the same. An office worker can typically work remotely, whereas a warehouse worker physically can’t. In these situations, it is important to ensure that decisions made are reasonable, documented and applied consistently across comparable roles.
It is also important to remember that if the employer closes a workplace, then all employees should still be paid – they haven’t chosen not to come to work. However, if an employee can’t attend the workplace due to weather and remote working is not possible it is essential to check the contract and any policies that you have in place and consider any options for leave including paid authorised leave annual leave or unpaid leave.
Communication is critical:
Decide early, communicate clearly and stick to the plan so people aren’t left guessing at 6am whether they should leave the house in a frost or a storm.
HR Solutions can support you with reviewing or writing a policy that covers clear procedures and expectations when experiencing adverse weather.
