Look I get it. I have 3 sons and Snow Days are a big deal…if you’re 10! So, if you’re an HR Pro, right about this time tomorrow, you’re going to feel like you have an entire organization full of 10-year-olds, as we begin to see the first signs of Snowmageddon!
I understand people freaking out, that is, if you live in someplace south of the Mason-Dixon line, and you’ve never seen snow before. But, I live in Michigan and it snows here. The snow starts around Halloween and ends around Easter. What I don’t understand is anyone that lives north of, let’s say, Chicago is even blinking an eye at a snow storm coming. Let it snow, clear your driveway and get your butt to work.
It’s not a difficult concept! No, I don’t want you to drive to a client if the roads are dangerous, and, no, I don’t want you to drive to work if the roads are dangerous, and, no, I don’t want you to run around the office with scissors and your shoes untied! But I do expect, we’ll all be adults.
If it looks like there’s going to be a lot of snow tomorrow, you need to make a plan. How about packing some work to do from home, or just plan on watching Lifetime all day, because I completely understand you missing the 3 days’ of warning that the snow was coming! (he screamed to himself in a mocking voice…)
Snow Days are the kind of crap that drives HR and Leadership completely insane!
Why is it, the CEO finds his way into the office, driving his Lexus sedan, but Perry in IT just can’t seem to get his 4X4Chevy Tahoe out of the garage? If you want a day off that damn bad, take a day off, but don’t insult the intelligence of all those who found a way to come in.
Be sensible, give your local snow plows some time to clear roads, give yourself extra time to get to work, but at the very least give it a shot. Then, when you get stuck, take a picture with your phone and send it to your boss, they’ll appreciate the effort!
Living in the north I’ve always opperated by the fact I can be productive at home. If the roads aren’t clear, I stay off so the doctors, nurses, fire fighters, police officers, and even hourly works (that may not be able to afford to miss a shift) could figure out a way to get in safely.
Snow brings out the ridiculousness certainly, however, why is HR even worried? Just mark the day as a PTO day in the HRIS and move along. Let operations folks worry about operations issues. HR likes to venture outside policy, planning, benefit administration and engagement a little more often than we’d like to admit. Alternatively, HR can help develop and establish a sensible telework program and just not worry at all. Can’t or don’t want to make it into the office? Great, log in and get yourself to work at home. Let managers and supervisors manage and supervise those who abuse the system. I see these types of posts on both sides of the issue every year and for the life of me cannot understand why we are not utilizing fairly inexpensive technology solutions to eliminate or at least minimize the annual annoyance.
Having spent most of my life “up north” in truly snowy and cold places (Cleveland, OH, Vermont, Minnesota, Western Michigan) I always figured if doctors, nurses, fire fighters, police officers, etc. could figure out a way to get to work, I probably could as well 🙂
I live in North Carolina and everyone loses their minds when we get snow. Even a dusting is enough for schools to cancel.
Now that I live in Lincoln NE I was worried about the snow and driving in to work. Then I remembered some of my team live in Omaha and will drive in so I better put my big boy pants on and deal with it. Plus I’m 3 hours from the office so…..