Leave for the bad weather

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Golly, sobriety is an embarrassing thing.

[annaj]

Not really the point, but ok.

1.7 miles according to walkit.com. I'm lucky I live near work.

But I have walked further to get to and from work in the past when emergencies have affected transport and I would again.

Edited to say I cross posted with PGC and, whilst I appreciate the support, we can probably leave my embarrassing fear out of this. :-$ Right, back to work.

[Mick Mac]

The distance between my home and my employer is 6.7 miles each way. Now thats fine in good conditions, i walk that distance regularly.

Its slightly different in 5/6 inches of snow, never mind potentially dangerous. I don't think employers should expect that from employees, most to be fair did not and i think Keefs employer is being ureasonable.

if you work for the emergency services, you have got to make it, everyone depends on you.

However if you work for a city institution where nothing is being bought or sold at the moment then I don't think its a reasonable ask - but in any case i had an email saying no need to come in - so I'm happy that employee and employer agreed.

[macroban]

I see a pattern here.

The young can't, the old can.

[Edited to avoid revealing someone's age]

[boosboss]

Did anyone see that story about the guy from Ashford (Kent) that works at Guys? Took him 8 1/2 hours to get to work on monday! Train/Hitchhiking/walking - Madness!

[boosboss]

Holiday days for bad weather

[Mick Mac]

Thats a useful clarification boosboss:

"you would be within your rights to refuse to pay an employee who cannot make it into work because they are 'snowed in' or because public transport has been cancelled due to the weather"

And I think my employer took the following advice:

"However, you should assess whether this would be in the interests of your business. It may be that the financial burden to the business of paying staff in these circumstances is outweighed by the benefits that such a gesture would have on staff morale and productivity in the long run. "

Which I agree, is good PR for them with employees who face huge time and stress demands at many points in the year.

[Jeremy]

I pretty much agree that a 1.5 hr walk is a real pain, but not impossible. However, in the snow (and ice), a 6 mile walk would surely take a lot longer, and could even be dangerous. Saying that, if the transport wasn't working on the Tuesday, I probably would have given it a go.

[bigbadwolf]

boosboss Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Did anyone see that story about the guy from

> Ashford (Kent) that works at Guys? Took him 8 1/2

> hours to get to work on monday!

> Train/Hitchhiking/walking - Madness!

He'd probably left his desk the previous day at work without realising to cancel his youporn download.

[Keef]

According to Walkit.com, my walk (Sydenham - Woolwich) would be;

Distance: 8 miles / 12.8 km

Walking time:

119 mins fast

159 mins medium

239 mins slow

Now add snow and ice to that, and I think it's safe to say that Greenwich council can feck off!!!

It's cool anyway, I'm leaving in 2 weeks, and have already agreed my leaving date and remaining leave, so HAHAHAHAHA!

[annaj]

Keef and MickMac, I agree that 6 or 8 miles is a long way and for a desk job I probably wouldn't have done it and would feel pretty miffed at my employer asking me to take annual leave.

It was only the use of the word impossible that was bugging me really, because there is a difference between "impossible" and "more than I think is reasonable or justified in the circumstances".

I was probably being a bit on the grumpy side, because I'm having a horribly busy week, sorry.

[Cassius]

I walked to and from the South Bank in 1991 and would have given a similar distance a go - however an unknown route and a distance of 11 km each way did rather put me off this time.

[SeanMacGabhann]

yeap - what anna said basically -

4ish miles from Dulwich to city-ish = do-able

6-8+ miles = rapidly tails off in to diminishing returns

basically, lots of us in the pub on Monday could have done it. I'm not saying we were wrong to choose to be there, but I don't think employers are automatically wrong to expect us to be at work - should be a case by case thing. But kudos to those companies who took the attitude that it's a once in a generation type thing and with a nod and a wink said "do your best"

[giggirl]

Had I gone to work this Monday I would not have been thanked for going "above and beyond the call". And it would have been a real stretch - I would have walked both ways. Further, if I had asked to leave early to get home safely, that would have fallen on deaf ears. Sad really. I don't mind making up the hours though.

[Keef]

Thing is, when the advise from the met office was to only go out if essential, I think people had every right to stay off. I basically agree about the use of the word "impossible" though, and have actually done the walk to work before, but on a nice sunny morning!

Anyway, feck it, seems like ancient history now I'm here trying to catch up on a HUGE backlog of paperwork and a nice day off seems like a nice but distant dream, a bit like that time I went through a wardrobe and met this speaking lion...

[SeanMacGabhann]

how very true...

[Keef]

You met him too?

Did you think he was a bit like Jesus?

[SeanMacGabhann]

definitely a touch of the wannabee about him for sure

[Keef]

At least there was a very warm and welcoming beaver!

Okay, I've just gone too far haven't I :-$

[Strawbs]

My work most definitely would not have thanked for me coming in on Monday.. I think it was a given that most peeps would not come in on Monday due to conditions, I think expecting people to walk 2 - 3 hours each way in the snow is ridiculous, I mean come one, its work!! Whilst granted some peeps like Annaj who are doctors, ambos etc will be needed more than ever so I can totally see why they would do it most of us dont have live or die jobs..

No one is having to take it as leave or being penalised and the people who did make it in are not being rewarded in any way shape or form..

All of us in ED still had no trains on the Tuesday so the journey for me was 2 hours each way and when I asked to leave a little early due to the conditions and potentially having to walk in the dark through the snow I was promptly told No you are in so you can stay the whole day which is exactly what people faced on the Monday when they got in so why on earth would I then trudge in?

Anyway that's my 2 cents which of course only relates to me and my workplace..

[sillywoman]

giggirl Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> This is bang out of order Keef. There was just no

> way to get anywhere from ED on Monday.

Not strictly true GG - Sillyman made it to work for a 10am start. He left home about 9.10am. Admittedly he works on the Southbank, so only 4 miles or so, but he didn't even consider not going in because of a snowfall. He was sad to have missed the kids day off but as he said - it's a question of pride in the job and setting a good example (he's a boss). How would it have looked if other people on his team had made the effort and he hadn't? I was very proud of him - and a bit worried. Very glad to see him home at 11pm that night.

[Applespider]

Horsebox, I feel for your guests. There was a point in Bodeans around 1am when we found out there was no public transport when a 6 mile walk back to home seemed a distinct possibility. And no, while it wouldn't have been impossible, I don't think it would have been particularly pleasant. I'm pretty fit (ran a half marathon last year) but I suspect 6 miles or so in thick snow would have been tiring. Friends and I discussed potentially getting a hotel for the remainder of the night and heading home the next day in daylight and if things had improved.

I had the day off on Monday so feeling guilty about running around playing in the snow wasn't an issue for me. I don't think though that I'd have hiked the 8 miles to the office though even if I hadn't been. And I didn't on Tuesday since it was still going to be a much longer commute than usual - but I didn't run around in the snow. I connected to the office remotely and did a decent day's graft.

[bigbadwolf]

I don't feel at all guilty for taking time off as my employer Laing O'Rourke is a purely commercial outfit with no immediate benefit to the public compared to those Strawbs mentioned such as the emergency services etc... Without trying to sound macho my job is also a very dangerous occupation and I don't see why I should put myself at further physical risk to ingratiate my immediate superiours who as it turns out see things from my point of view so I suppose I'm one of the luckier few. What keefs bosses have proposed is disgusting but since you're leaving soon Keef do as I would, search out the creator of the offending statement and add a liberal smear of dog shit under his or hers car door handles when you finally vamoos.