Weatherproofing a business

24 Dec 2014

Operating a business in the UK has always meant accounting for the climate, which can go from droughts in the summer to the highly disruptive flooding seen during recent winters.

As recommended by the Forum for Private Business (FPB), creating a ‘bad weather’ policy may help protect your business from unforeseen circumstances and difficulties arising in the coming months. Your policy should prepare you to answer these questions:

  • What actions can your employees expect the business to take in bad weather?
  • Will absences due to weather be paid?
  • Are some staff able to work from home?
  • Who is responsible for informing employees and customers should your premises be closed?

Other important factors to consider are the IT systems in place, such as company laptops, phones and cloud computing, which you can set up to allow for easier communication and remote working if necessary.

Health and safety guidance should also be taken into account when deciding what actions you or your employees will take – from travelling to work to clearing snow and ice from your premises.