Communications
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| The Department of Transportation clearing Chinook Pass last year. DOT photo. |
When stormy weather hits, take precautions to keep yourself and your family safe. The federal Ready website provides preparedness information for snowstorms and extreme cold, as well as many other potential emergencies.
Now is also a good time to get familiar with WSDA’s procedures, before weather disruptions occur. To help you prepare, below is a review of guidance to follow during inclement weather interruptions. For details, see WSDA policy POL-HR-219, Severe Inclement Weather.
Stay informed
Probably the biggest disrupter is when your workplace is closed due to inclement weather. The director, deputy director, or an assistant director will decide if a WSDA facility should be closed.
When there’s severe weather or a catastrophic event, it’s important to stay informed so you know the status of your workplace. The two best ways are GovDelivery alerts and the agency’s emergency hot line.
Sign up to be alerted of building closures or other emergencies by text or email through the Department of Enterprise Service’s GovDelivery. To select a specific location, including Yakima, Spokane, Wenatchee, and Cleveland Building, go to the Emergency Management page under Administrative Services on the WSDA intranet.
You can also call WSDA’s toll-free emergency-information number (1-888-973-2362) before leaving for work. This number plays a voice message giving you current information about affected work locations, and whether and where to report for work.
If your work location is open, but you can’t get to work or have to leave work due to extreme weather, notify your supervisor as soon as possible.
“Our employees’ safety is our top concern,” said Deputy Director Patrick Capper. “If you decide that conditions make it too dangerous for you to travel, play it safe and coordinate with your supervisor to take leave time and stay off the roads.”
Take leave in this order
WPEA Bargaining Unit Members
- Any earned compensatory time or previously accumulated exchange time;
- Any accrued vacation leave;
- Any accrued sick leave, up to three days per calendar year; or,
- Leave without pay (LWOP).
WFSE Bargaining Unit Members
- Any earned compensatory time or previously accumulated exchange time;
- Any accrued vacation leave;
- Any accrued sick leave, up to three days per calendar year; or,
- Leave without pay (LWOP).
Non-represented Employees
Employees must claim leave in this order, as available:
- Any earned compensatory time or previously accumulated exchange time;
- Any accrued vacation leave;
- Personal Holiday
- Any accrued sick leave, up to three days per calendar year; or,
- Leave without pay (LWOP).
Say you arrive to work late because of severe weather conditions, natural disaster or other emergency circumstances as determined by the agency. In that case, you are allowed up to one hour of paid time without using your leave. You should still submit a leave slip (using leave code 9021) to track that time.
If you are more than one hour late, you must use leave as listed above for any time that’s beyond one hour. Remember that this one hour of paid time applies only when reporting late at the beginning of your shift. It does not apply if you are gone for your whole shift, at any other time during your shift,
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| Tree and debris blown down by wind on Cayuse Pass. DOT photo. |
Tech access
In cases of severe weather, more employees than usual may want to access agency resources to work from home. You must have your supervisor’s approval to work from home.
To avoid technical performance or capacity problems, we ask that you to use Outlook Web Access (https://mobile.wa.gov) if you only need access to email. If you need access to other network resources, use Citrix. You can find links to these and other resources on the employee page.
Information or questions
Stay informed as inclement weather situations develop and heed advice on how to be prepared.
Here are links to additional weather of travel information:
- National Weather Service -- http://www.weather.gov/
- Department of Transportation – http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/
In summary: Winter weather is here. Snow, ice, wind, or other extreme conditions could make travel hazardous and even cause workplaces to be closed. Take the time now to become familiar with agency policy and guidance regarding working and commuting during severe inclement weather.
