Taking a snowday: what are your rights as an employee?

When a winter storm hits, braving treacherous road conditions while stressing about making it to work on time is likely the last thing you want to do. What many of us would rather to do in those situations, is just stay inside and take a snow day.

Since there's no official provision in Alberta's Employment Standards Code regarding that option, it's up to each employer to make rules regarding weather absences. Because they're only required to pay you for hours you work, staying home during a storm could cost you pay or vacation time.

Some companies and unions actually have formal policies allowing it, though.

If your workplace doesn't have a formal policy in place, whether or not you can stay home when severe bad weather hits may depend on how nice your boss is and what kind of job you have.

"For the most part it is kind of a goodwill thing where it's a bit of give and take," says Jay Fisher, with Alberta Workplace Standards.

At a local Metis development firm, the boss says it just comes down to a common sense courtesy.

"It's not a formal thing, we look at it from a productivity standpoint," explains Michael Ivy, general manager of Apeetogosan Metis Development. "I don't want my staff spending two, three hours - some people spent four hours - on the road, just trying to get home last night."

After battling horrendous traffic on Wednesdy, Ivy didn't make it into work himself, and told his staff to go home as well.

"To have them on the road is actually a risk," he says. "It's a risk to them and, therefore, it's a risk to our organization."

His outlook is certainly appreciated by staff, who were able to have more of a stress-free commute home that day.

"It's awesome," says one of the employees, Nic Hrycun. "Makes our lives so much easier. It helps us enjoy coming to work, knowing that we have that kind of flexibility in our jobs and that our satisfaction is so much higher, at least mine is."

While for Ivy, "it's just the cost of doing business in Alberta."

Bob Dunford, who works for the City of Edmonton's Traffic Department, doesn't have the luxury of staying home on a snow day. He does think, however, that less traffic on the road from people who are able to take one probably would have been helpful for those trying to clear the roads.

Alberta Workplace Standards officials hope employers will work with staff on bad weather options, such as allowing employees to make up lost hours or work from home when possible.

With files from Julie Matthews, Global News