Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

AbsenceEmployee relationsEmployment lawIndustrial action / strikesHR practice

Rail strikes: how to deal with public transport disruptions

by Jo Stubbs 1 Apr 2010
by Jo Stubbs 1 Apr 2010

Rail strikes can lead to employees, through no fault of their own, being late for work, or unable to get to work at all. What steps can employers take when employees’ journey to work is disrupted because of a transport strike?

Disruptions to public transport

How to deal with employment issues caused by severe weather or disruptions to public transport

1. Have a policy on disruptions to public transport

Make sure you have a policy in place dealing with disruptions to public transport.

This should cover issues such as the steps your employees are required to take to try to get into work on time, and the consequences of their not being able to make it in – this should reduce the scope for confusion and disagreement.

 

  • Severe weather and disruptions to public transport policy

 

2. Think of different ways for employees to travel to work

Explore any alternative ways for employees to get into work with them. Options include car sharing if several employees live close together or on the same route.

 

  • Policy on travel by car

 

3. Think of alternative ways of working

Consider if it is necessary for employees to attend the workplace at their normal time or whether there are alternative ways of working.

This could involve issuing employees with laptops, or allowing them to work from home or simply to work flexible hours. Perhaps they could work from an alternative local office until the travel situation improves, or make the time up at a later date.

 

  • Can employees be required to work from home if the transport system is disrupted?

 

4. Be more lenient with absence or lateness

Consider how you will treat absence or lateness due to transport disruptions. As a general rule, employees must be ready and willing to perform their duties, so if they are absent from work without authorisation, they are not entitled to be paid.

Having said this, if an employee turns up late or is unable to get to work due to public transport difficulties – something beyond the employee’s control – you may wish to be more lenient. But remember to be consistent in your approach, to avoid discrimination claims.

 

  • Is an employer required to pay employees who arrive late or do not arrive at all due to disruptions to public transport?

 

5. Paid annual leave may be an option for employers

Where employees are unable to get to work, taking paid annual leave may be an option. Employers can require their employees to take annual leave at specific times, but this is subject to rules laid down in the Working Time Regulations 1998.

In the absence of a relevant agreement, employers may require their workers to take leave on particular dates if they give twice as much notice as the duration of the leave. This would mean giving two days’ notice to require a worker to take one day’s leave.

However, even if you can’t give appropriate notice, there is nothing to stop you asking if employees would like to take a day’s holiday if they are unable to get into work on that day. Many employees will find taking paid holiday preferable to losing a day’s pay or agreeing to make the time up at a later date.

 

  • If an employer closes its business because disrupted public transport prevents employees from attending work does it have to pay its employees?

 

6. Employees’ childcare difficulties may lead to time off

Remember that other organisations’ employees may also be having difficulty getting to work, which may have a knock-on effect on your staff.

Where, for example, nurseries are closed due to key staff being unable to get to work, your employees may have no option but to take time off to provide childcare.

This is likely to fall under the right to take reasonable time off in relation to dependants. Time off in these circumstances is unpaid (unless you choose to pay employees or the contract provides for paid leave), and should last only for as long as is necessary to deal with the immediate situation.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

  • Time off for dependants: Line manager briefing

 

Jo Stubbs

Jo Stubbs worked for XpertHR from 2001 until 2021, holding various roles including employment law editor, head of content,and global head of product content strategy.

previous post
Employers must consider financial requests for training, not just time off
next post
Employment tribunal payouts expected to be quicker under new scheme

You may also like

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

HSBC employees warned of office attendance link to...

22 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

CBI chair Soames accuses ministers of not listening...

16 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

‘Polygamous working’ is a minefield for HR

14 May 2025

Contract cleaner loses EAT race discrimination appeal

14 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+