You are not at work until you cross the threshold of the work place. The employer has no control over the route used to get to work so can do nothing about its condition therefore cannot be held responsible for how you get to work. Most employers would make allowances for staff who arrive late because of the weather conditions and I have experienced some raised eyebrows when I travelled from Newport South Wales into London during very inclement snow but got in around three hours late and was told to go back home when ready as the journey could be as hard the other way, one or twice even I failed to get to work. My employer, as would most, makes allowance for this eventuality as it is outside anyone's control. This asks the question what type of employer are we looking at in this specific case. I also have a friend who is not based at any particular place, he has a vehicle fitted with a devise that feeds info back to his employer's head office some 300miles away and they can tell when he leaves his home and starts driving and this is when he is under the company's control.

Hello clegg1966 This discussion did seem to go off track rather! I think your question was is it reasonable for a company to threaten disciplinary action if their employees don't turn up in bad weather. In practical terms, the employer should be able to expect their employees to take all reasonable steps to get in to work. However, it may actually be impossible for the employee to succeed in doing so. If the employer can show that other employees from the same area managed to get in to work ok, then disciplinary action may be warranted, and may succeed. If the employee could show that it was impossible for them to get to work, then the action won't succeed. A sensible discussion with the person's line manager should short circuit any discipline process. If an employee cannot get in, and has made contact with their work place then a reasonable employer should allow emergency time off. However, they would be entirely justified in expecting the employee to make up for lost time in the days that follow.

Exactamondo David Jones. Are you by any chance Welsh?

The word discipline here is causing concern. In the context of employment law absence from work invokes the employers right to uphold their end of the contract - ie to withhold pay or take further action as the employee is in default -not the employer (ie the workplace and work is still there) If the employer does not invoke their process for failure to turn up they can end up in contractual knots should it become more complicated or 'unfair' on others. Unfortunately - as with sickness absence, the employer usually only one policy for dealing with such reasons for 'non work' and it is termed the discipline procedure. But of course, this has to be applied uniformly, fairly, is transparent, has a warning process etc. It may not be a conduct issue, but more of capability one. Steve

Sean, I have just read the whole thread for the first time. The key responses for me were those by Kate and that at #44 by CliveG. It seems to me that they have both read and understood the O.P. question and given a good and correct summary of the position. They cover both the liability question and the HR management matters that would cover this sort of situation. I am not sure how that opinion would make me a bad boss and I cannot see why you think that most have misread the question? p48

Have a look at this link it may help, http://www.hrmagazine.co...-disruption-caused-snow/