A major winter storm is barreling toward the East Coast. While Winter Storm Fern is forecast to bring record snowfall to parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, it could also churn out dangerous ice across the South, including regions lacking the infrastructure to handle the crisis.
With more than 200 million in the path of the storm, next week’s weather will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the American workforce and their employers, some of whom will need to revisit time off and remote work policies, safety regulations and strategize for connecting affected workers to support.
Yet, many employers likely aren’t prepared.
See also: How to avoid the ‘winter blues’ becoming a real threat to employee wellbeing
According to a survey by Fusion Risk Management, more than one-quarter of employees say their organizations are unprepared to handle emergencies like weather-related natural disasters. Globally, about 80% report their organization has a written emergency plan in place, yet that figure drops slightly to 76% for American employers.
That is a clear first start for organizations wanting to prepare for natural disasters and reduce liability, according to the report.
“Having no plan in place means that you will be caught off guard by the next disruption, and your employees and operations will be likely be impacted, so having no plan is no longer an option,” they write.
Chief among those plans should be details for how the organization will grant remote work access and decide on full business closures.
When weighing this question, according to a blog post this week about the storm by law firm Fisher Phillips, consider the impact on both non-exempt and exempt employees.
The Fair Labor Standards Act, for instance, requires that non-exempt employees be paid for all hours worked.
“So, even if your worksite is closed, if non-exempt staff are working remotely, you should record and pay for all hours worked,” attorneys write. Meanwhile, employers are generally required to pay exempt employees the full salary for any week in which they work at all.
“You will also have to ensure compliance with state wage and hour laws, which may offer employees more protections than federal law,” they add. “The rules get complicated, so it’s best to reach out to legal counsel before making any deductions.”
Accidents on the job
Preparedness should be a particular concern for employers with workers who could be at risk of weather-related injuries on the job. According to a recent report in PropertyCasualty360, workplace slip-and-fall accidents more than doubled between December 2024-January 2025, owing to icy and snowy conditions.
Such incidents are most common in industries like construction, transportation and utilities, but sectors like retail—with workers asked to report for in-person work—also appear high on that list.
In Fisher Phillips’ recent post, Travis Vance, regional managing partner of the firm’s Charlotte office and a member of its Workplace Safety team, urged employers to conduct a full hazard assessment of the workplace when weather conditions change.
“A good practice for employers is considering whether there are conditions that could change those hazards, like winter or summer, and are we reevaluating those tasks?” Vance writes. For instance, employers should question whether the PPE workers may wear in the summer is appropriate in the winter and vice versa.
How HR leaders can support employees during the winter storm
While employers will need to navigate workplace policies and practices, they should do so while remaining cognizant of the personal impact.
After last year’s wildfires in Los Angeles, Dr. Joel Axler, a board-certified psychiatrist and National Behavioral Health Leader at Brown & Brown, told HR Executive that HR leaders have a critical role to play in protecting employee mental health following an emergency.
To that end, he urged, communicate crisis plans before, during and after an emergency and ensure employees know how to access resources like financial assistance, and help with transportation and supplies.
Employees may be dealing with power outages, frozen pipes and property damage—on top of disruptions like closed schools, and daycare and eldercare facilities.
“Most of all, it is important for leaders to communicate with empathy and demonstrate understanding,” Axler told HR Executive.
That can be furthered with strategic decisions around whether employees should be required to use PTO during significant weather events, attorneys at Fisher Phillips write.
“You may want to consider the impact on operations as well as employee morale,” they say. “To the extent you can be flexible in a way that’s consistent with state, federal and local law, as well as the needs of the business, consider allowing employees to utilize whatever benefits and leave are available to them if they are unable to report to work due to inclement weather.”
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