Does your work make you "make up" snow days?

[pushingit]

Jan 10, 2011 12:26:06 GMT -5 The J said:

It does depend on where the person lives. No matter how early I get up, if there's a heavy snowstorm I can't leave until the parking lot has been plowed. My condo's also on a private road, so until that gets plowed, no one is going anywhere. Someone who lives in a HOA development could have the same problem.

Really? What do you drive? I laugh when people can't make it out of their city drives while my AWD car makes it out of my unplowed 1,000ft long driveway no problem.

When you live where it's snowy, you should drive something you can get around in the snow with. Maybe not an SUV, but an AWD or even a FWD with real snow tires will go a long way. I had a tiny Renault Encore back in 86 with FWD. I never got stuck in that thing!

Sorry, I just don't have any sympathy for people like my co-worker who drives his Mustang year round and won't even buy snow tires. Of course he gets stuck in our plowed, but re-snowed on parking lot 2-3 times a year, he's not driving a winter ready car.

[The J]

I have a 96 Nissan Sentra (FWD). It's actually decent in the snow, but when there's an unplowed 6" sitting on the road, I'm not making it through.

[Deleted]

There could be a tsunami heading toward us with an earthquake swallowing up our office building and a nuclear war raging in the city, and our company would not close.

[wvugurl26]

What kind of jacked up truck do I need to make it through 14 inches of unplowed snow sitting in the parking lot of the apt complex? I have AWD and my car can handle 3-4 inches just fine. 14 at one time is another story. Fortunately last year both storms happened on a weekend and I was plowed out and ready to go on Sunday.
Yeah if Metro shuts down you aren't going anywhere around DC. Silly little DOT only lets them remove snow for 16 hours at a time before they have to take 8 hours off Getting the yards/tracks clear so they can get the trains running again is a major operation. Last year after one of the storms my brother measured 38 inches in the Shady Grove yard. That doesn't go away overnight even with every person they can get working 16 hour shifts.

[michelyn8]

Really? What do you drive? I laugh when people can't make it out of their city drives while my AWD car makes it out of my unplowed 1,000ft long driveway no problem.

When you live where it's snowy, you should drive something you can get around in the snow with. Maybe not an SUV, but an AWD or even a FWD with real snow tires will go a long way. I had a tiny Renault Encore back in 86 with FWD. I never got stuck in that thing!

Sorry, I just don't have any sympathy for people like my co-worker who drives his Mustang year round and won't even buy snow tires. Of course he gets stuck in our plowed, but re-snowed on parking lot 2-3 times a year, he's not driving a winter ready car.


Where I live its not just snow - its ice. You get enough people driving on an uncleared road around my home and it becomes a packed down sheet of ice before the snow plows get to it.

Also, while I have always driven a front-wheel drive car, I am not always willing to go out on the roads. There are soooo many idiots who drive their vehicles (front-wheel & four-wheel drive) like there's nothing on the road. Its nothing to have a dumbass redneck in a 4-wheel drive truck drive on an icy snow covered road like its clear and dry. I've also seen someone rear end a snow plow because they were travelling to fast or following to close and couldn't stop in time - how they missed that big orange truck with the flashing lights and couldn't slow down is beyond me.

My job is not worth my life and I make that clear to my employers. If I can safely make it in, I will. If I'm not comfortable with the condition of the road when its my normal time to leave home, I will go in late. And if the road conditions aren't what I consider safe by 9 or 10 a.m., I won't go in at all.

[mrsgords]

Jan 10, 2011 16:22:51 GMT -5 michelyn8 said:

My job is not worth my life and I make that clear to my employers. If I can safely make it in, I will. If I'm not comfortable with the condition of the road when it's my normal time to leave home, I will go in late. And if the road conditions aren't what I consider safe by 9 or 10 a.m., I won't go in at all.

Amen, I'm with you. Everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to driving in snow/ice and shouldn't have to apologize for it. I work with people who live less than a mile from our office who will take a "snow day" when the weather is bad. They can't even walk there! I commute 70 miles round trip and always do my best to get to work. But I will stay home if I don't feel safe/comfortable driving.

[sarcasticgirl]

we don't get snow days. I trudge through whatever snow/ice is on the ground and get to the bus or El train.

[Deleted]

What I learned from this snow/ice storm was that plumbers don't work if school is out. That's the only explanation I can figure out. My hot water decided to burst today, the aftermath day of the ice storm. The schools closed but not much else. But I couldn't schedule a plumber until tomorrow because all their offices were closed (Home Depot/Lowe's) or they were on skeleton crews (everyone else). Every other retail place was open.

I forgot that Joe the Plumber was not middle class and therefore doesn't work when the rest of us do. I count myself as the rest because I would have gone to work if it had been open.

[Deleted]

My post was somewhat misleading . . . Home Depot and Lowe's were open. It was their plumbing contractors who weren't.

[dragonfly7]

My last position was hourly, so closing for bad weather meant reduced hours for me. Since each day we closed meant a 5 percent drop in my income for the month, our corporate office let me claim them as vacation days so my paycheck would be the same.

Since we come from states much further north than Texas, DH and I make it a point to own at least one 4WD vehicle. However, there was still one day I flat out could not make it to work. The day it snowed so much last February, our apartment complex's carport pitched forward under the weight of the snow and crashed down in front of our building's vehicles.

(This was taken the next morning after everything started to melt: flic.kr/p/99B47t )

[Cookies Galore]

Crud, the roads were cleared and Septa was running normally. I can't justify using a PET day! At work and missing my warm, cozy bed. Stupid small snow.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Since I work at a hospital university, since the hospital does not close, we do not close. The university expects me to come into work but my bosses have told me that my job is not worth risking getting into a wreck, stranded or hurt so feel free to stay home. I have to use vacation/sick.

Two years ago I-80 shut down, I-29 shut down and the South O bridge shut down. There was no way for me to get into work because there was no way to get across the river. Granted I am sure someone would claim I should have dog-sledded across the Missouri, but I didn't.

That was one of the few times I've ever seen the entire city of Omaha shut down, even where I currently work shut down with only essential personeel having to report.

For me it's the damn snow plows. If they haven't plow any of the roads there is no way I can get in, especially in Omaha. 3-4 inches I can usually cram my car thru and make it. For 7 or more inches at once I am not trying to get in, I'll take being a lousy employee.

Plus when it is that bad nine times out of ten the university decides to send us all home at noon. So I get up early, spend a couple hours plowing thru the snow to make here only to be told to turn around and go home. Screw it, I'll just stay home.

[alphayankee]

...hey, OP... when we were in the south and a snow came in, the county announced that their 3 snowplows wouldn't be able to keep up, so schools closed... it was fairly comical to hear that the entire county owned 3 plows... but, I suppose, that may be par for the course in the southern states...

Not bad. Atlanta has 11 plows (for 500k people). It's three days after the storm and they are just starting to work on the surface streets. Schools are still closed today. After three days with my kids 24/7, I'm more convinced than ever that I would be a lousy SAHM.

I get paid for the two days that my work was closed, but I have to take a personal day for today because the facility is open.

[973beachbum]

What kind of jacked up truck do I need to make it through 14 inches of unplowed snow sitting in the parking lot of the apt complex?

I am convinced I could have a Hummer and if the state plows the state HWY before the town gets to the regular streets, which is what always happens, I still wouldn't be able to get off our street. The state has the plows push the snow into the side streets so the state road is clear.

Most of the places around here are pretty good. It is not like anyone has it any better so they all understand the drill. This morning it was really rough though. we started this snow storm with all rain. So it hit the ground and froze. On top was snow. They salted but everyone had to wait till the ice melted.