28 February 2018
Calls to the National Hairdressers’ Federation HQ have increased due to the severe weather forecast for the coming days. Salon owners are unclear about whether they have to pay staff who fail to turn up because of the adverse conditions.
Dedication to their clients has meant thousands of salon owners have opened their doors to give those clients who are sufficiently brave to keep their appointments a warm welcome.
The NHBF advises that salon owners who decide to shut because of the weather must pay their staff. However, salon owners do not have to pay staff who remain at home if the salon opens.
Stay-at-home hairdressers would have to take any days off as holiday, try to make up any missed hours over the next few days or take the time off as unpaid leave.
In some instances there will be genuine reasons for absence and employers should be sympathetic to those employees. For example, if a member of staff is required to stay home to care for their children because their school is closed due to the snow – this should be managed in accordance with your dependents leave policy in your Employee Handbook. However, there are cases where employees will use these conditions as an excuse not to turn up to work.
If employers find that employees have used the weather as a reason to take time off, they are well within their rights to not pay the employee for the time they have taken off or request that the individual takes the time as annual leave and, if necessary they could investigate the circumstances behind the absence and consider whether disciplinary action would be appropriate.
The NHBF would suggest that members put in place a formal procedure to deal with employees who are absent from work in such situations. Having a procedure to follow means an employer can show that employees are treated equally, fairly and reasonably, which is important if they want to discipline them for poor attendance.
NHBF Members can call the NHBF legal helpline for FREE for further guidance.