Getting in bother if you think you're unable to get to work?

AquaGirl

There's flood warnings where i live and on the drive home there were good sections of the main road already flooding. There were getting to be some really deep puddles covering side to side. I went to go the back roads for one section & had to turn back on myself as i got so far & it was just way too deep to even chance it.

And the rain is only getting harder.

I've had a phone call from someone who lives about halfway between me & my workplace (I passed this tonight & as i said it was bad then) & they called me to say they don't know if i'll be able to make it to work in the morning as it's really bad right now & they wouldn't be surprised if the road got closed off. They live near a canal and said it looks like the boats are about to come up out of the canal. The walkpath has disappeared in sections totally as water covers it.

High tide is apparently 1am-2am so i've read & the rain is due to progress until 9am in the morning.

So while the roads may or may not be open still (for this we'll assume they'll remain open) can you basically get in bother for not going in because you think it may not be safe?

Not only that but i remember back to i think it was December 2015 when this area suffered badly from floods & electricity went off for about 3-4 days i think. If i remember right it all began on a Saturday. I actually was on holiday that day (as in day off work) but had i been working then the morning was fine but by the time it would've come to home time the roads were closed. The back roads were even worse.

Looking back on it there was basically no route home from work as the roads were closed & that is obviously something i don't want to wind up in if this rain gets any worse.

But at the same time i don't want to wind up on disciplinary action for using a 'poor excuse' or whatever it may be deemed as.

TELLIT01

I would suggest that your personal safety comes above the risk of a bo**oking at work.

AquaGirl

TELLIT01 wrote: »

I would suggest that your personal safety comes above the risk of a bo**oking at work.

I would think so too but i'm also well aware of responses such as "well the road is still open" or "well others have made it through".

The others have made it through one is the most likely, but like tonight for example when i went the back roads. I got under a bridge & it was flooded. Very deep & i thought it wasn't worth the risk. I knocked it in to reverse with hazards on & this person came up behind me & stayed there for a bit before slowly overtaking me. They drove on the far edge under the bridge, so totally on the pavement & even then it was up high on their car.

Sure they made it through but i thought it really wasn't worth that risk. I kept reversing & another person came behind me & eventually slowly overtook me. They approached the swimming pool and stopped. You could see them clearly weighing it up. I'd 3 pointed by this point & they'd gone into the middle of it. As i drove away i could see their reverse lights come on as they'd clearly had second thoughts.

So sure someone made it through but i personally thought it was very stupid risking it. Maybe i could've made it through also but i didn't fancy the possibility of ending up having to replace my car as i'd just wrecked it.

As it stands and we're looking online there's weather warnings basically saying the route there (to my work) should be avoided and is unlikely to remain passable for much longer.

I'm not looking for a day off work, i don't care for that but what i am looking for is to not have to end up buying a new car because i wrecked one trying to get to work or even getting to work but being unable to get home again as would've been the case that December i mentioned.

dori2o

You cant do anything until you get up in the morning and see what the situation is.

Maybe get up 30 minutes earlier just in case you might be able to make it, but also consider the forecast for later on to ensure you can get home.

I personally agree that personal safety trumps work.

I remember after the Manchester Arena attack we went to work on the Tuesday (the day after) and as we work just off Deansgate in central Manchester it took us 2 and a half hours to travel the last 4 miles of a 12 mile journey having taken only 30 minutes to do the other 8 miles. I did think about turning around and going home having sat idle for an jour and travelled just about a mile, but was worried about the management view of doing that.

If its still as bad tomorrow I'd weigh it up then phone work at the earliest possible opportunity and just tell them the truth and see what they say. Maybe agree to look at the situation hour by hour and go in later if things improve.

TELLIT01

I'm guessing you are in either Lancashire or Cumbria which have been hit by flooding overnight. If any manager doesn't acknowledge that reasons for not being able to get to work are genuine in that situation, they need to move out of their cave and into the real world.
The fact that one employee living in an area can get to work doesn't mean somebody living nearby can. Without detailed knowledge of the area a manager isn't going to know what is flooded and what isn't.

getmore4less

I recall many years ago

Derbyshire, winter, snow lots of it and a bit of wind.


Flat share(we all worked at the same place in our early 20s) we took a look out the window, dark still snowing fairly deep on the road no tracks, went back to bed except one, off he went to work.

About 30mins later he walks in looking a bit shoddy, damp, no car.

Later that morning we went up the road to find it buried deep in the snow drift he had driven into and got stuck.

Ozzuk

Ask your manager or HR what the policy says, I know our place has one (some levels like mine can work from home, others have to use annual leave). They certainly don't insist we try to get into work if it isn't safe.

Nicki

What's your attendance record generally like? As a manager if someone who has a track record of taking time off for poor reasons, phoned again using this as a reason I might be exasperated and prone to query whether it was reasonable, but would accept it unhesitatingly for someone who didn't have attendance issues.

Are you able to work from home or even just keep an eye on emails from home? I'd offer to do that rather than saying I was taking the day off completely. And if your attendance record is poor, maybe suggest you offer to take this as a days annual leave or unpaid leave (which your boss is likely to respond there is no need) to demonstrate good faith.

AquaGirl

Well i'm due in in a couple of hours. Trying to keep updated through other people and online (Facebook groups) and some say basically the direct route through is closed off with police there stopping cars and others say it's all clear. I'll go in and see which group of people are telling the truth because clearly someone is lying (the comments were left within minutes of each other too).

I do know a manager from work came out in the early hours and picked a worker up near where i live because worker has a small expensive car and manager has a big pick up. This was apparently just before it got closed off & i've been told a section of the main road had big lorries struggling to get through it at that time. I wonder whether the manager will take the worker home too.

It's stopped raining now so hopefully it dies down by the time i'm due in.

Comms69

AquaGirl wrote: »

Well i'm due in in a couple of hours. Trying to keep updated through other people and online (Facebook groups) and some say basically the direct route through is closed off with police there stopping cars and others say it's all clear. I'll go in and see which group of people are telling the truth because clearly someone is lying (the comments were left within minutes of each other too).

I do know a manager from work came out in the early hours and picked a worker up near where i live because worker has a small expensive car and manager has a big pick up. This was apparently just before it got closed off & i've been told a section of the main road had big lorries struggling to get through it at that time. I wonder whether the manager will take the worker home too.

It's stopped raining now so hopefully it dies down by the time i'm due in.

Check the local police pages, they're supplying constant updates.


I think in the area Millom is the worst hit. So if you're there, my sympathies!

IAmWales

Are you an essential worker, will the employer have difficulties if you do not turn up? If so, call them now and discuss the situation. They might be able to make arrangements for you as they did the other worker.

Don't leave it until your usual leaving time to sort it out.