Write a commentAdvice on Absence due to the volcanic ash disruption from Prestige Employment.
The travel chaos caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull has left up to 150,000 UK citizens stranded abroad.
Organisations face shortages and confusion, with no way of knowing when their employees will be able to return to work. With this unusual and unforeseen nature of the events, how do employers deal with the absence of their employee, whether they were away for business or pleasure?
If your employee was on holiday - Prestige Employment Solutions Ltd advises employers to respond reasonably with stranded employees and should not consider this as AWOL (absent without leave) or taking disciplinary action. Given that this is not as a result of their conduct or actions and therefore any such decision is unlikely to fall within the band of reasonable responses and could be seen as completely contrived.
The employees should be given the option to take holiday or unpaid leave for the time they are absent from work. It will be good practice to have a return to work meeting with the employee. If there is any doubt that an employee was genuinely affected by the travel disruption, employers can of course ask the employee to provide proof – e.g. proof of airline booking, travel tickets etc.
If your employee was away on business - In this situation employers would be required to maintain pay for the period of time they are stranded abroad and do their best to provide them with work. The employer will still owe a duty of care to its employees and will need to ensure that they are complying with such obligations and assisting the employee with any necessary arrangements. To stay abreast of your legal obligations and for guidance on problems businesses are likely to encounter in these situations, contact us anytime - Prestige Employment Solutions Ltd Newry 02830258107
