If you’ve caught the news this morning you will be aware that Heathrow Airport is closed all day today due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation. This is causing flight cancellations and severe disruption, it’s also being reported that there could be impacts on flights further afield than Heathrow. If you have an employee returning from holiday in the coming days their travel plans could be affected meaning that they may be late back from holiday – it seems some travellers are unable to get back or are being sent to far distant airports.
If one of your employees is impacted, what do you need to know?
- Late back from holiday
- Delay in starting holiday
- Your business directly affected by airport closure
1. Late back from holiday
If your employee is going to be unable to return to work on time due to the disruption they should contact you to inform you of this, what steps they are taking to return and when you can expect them back. As it is an unfolding situation they may not have full details of when they will return when they initially contact you (they may be waiting on information themselves e.g from their airline) but they should keep you updated as to when you can expect them back and you can ask them to do so.
Generally, if the employee is not going to attend work that time will be unpaid. However, depending on the circumstances and how late back from holiday an employee is going to be, to minimise disruption to your business and the impact on the employee you may wish to consider:
- If they will be a few hours late starting work (e.g. because they are having to travel from a different airport than they expected to arrive at), agreeing with the employee that they can make up missed hours of work. Bear in mind the need to comply with the rules on rest and breaks etc in the Working Time Regulations
- Permitting the employee to take extra holiday day/s if they wish to do so
- Allowing them to work remotely if this is a viable and appropriate option
Whilst it can be frustrating for businesses if an employee is late back from holiday, bear in mind that if it is outside their control, they have acted reasonably in returning and have kept in contact where poss
2. Delay in starting holiday
Some employees who were due to fly out to start a holiday may find that they are unable to do so. This may lead to a request to change their annual leave booking to accommodate adjusted travel arrangements. In this situation, it’s important for employers to act reasonably and consider whether the request can be accommodated.
3. Your business directly affected by airport closure
If your business is directly affected by the airport closure, for example, it means you do not have any / enough work for your employees or you need to temporarily close a work location, you may be considering placing employees on short time working / lay-off. Bear in mind that to do this safely you will need to have an appropriate clause in your contracts of employment. If you are considering using short time working/lay-off or if your business is otherwise affected by the airport closure, please get in touch for advice on your situation.
If you have an HR issue you would like help with, please reach out.