I got pwned by Mother Nature

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

So today we are supposed to have this big blizzard with over a foot of snow. I got up at quarter to 4 this morning to find it snowing like nuts and blowing so I could barely see across the street. I had to be into work at 5 and figured it would keep up like this all day, so I called in at 5 to tell them I wouldn't be coming in (I had to wait because there's no answering machine ro voicemail at work to leave messages after hours).

The person taking the call was one of my supervisors who gave me a hard time, saying other people who lived further away than I did made it in, so what's my excuse? I told him I expected things to be worse in 8 hours, when I was supposed to leave, and my car was drifted in.

Well, the snow stopped around mid-morning and it's now noon. There hasn't been a flake in three hours. The plows have been out clearing the streets so they are in decent shape. And because the snow has stopped for now, people are probably figuring it's best to come out and do whatever shopping they need to, so it's probably fairly busy at the store. And for all I know, I'mprobably the only person who called out.

All this means I'm going to get an earful when I return to work Monday and Wednesday. I now look like a less-than-stellar employee who blew off work for no good reason. And I've already called in sick twice this month.

Looks lile my judgement call went bad. Getting only six inches of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.

[ShortTemperHatesStupidity]

So you didn't call them back and say "Ya know, it stopped, the roads are clear, I'll come in."

They would have ribbed ya about it for a bit but at least you would have been there.

[Jewels]

We got hit by some pretty bad snow here too....do we live in the same state?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

So you didn't call them back and say "Ya know, it stopped, the roads are clear, I'll come in."

They would have ribbed ya about it for a bit but at least you would have been there.

Nope. I figured I called in so I had to stay away. I'll get ribbed anyway and might be able to make the time up next weekend.

Besides, the snow started up again at about 3 in the afternoon and it's still snowing pretty hard.

[ShortTemperHatesStupidity]

You must live north of me then... *(so that's where sector 7-G is)*

In that case I'm glad ur safe! Good call.

[blas]

Don't even sweat it.....I got a lot of shit the day after I called in due to bad weather...."I live 40 miles away and still made it last night, why couldn't you?", and I told everyone to shove it. I don't risk my life for 10 bucks an hour.

I spun out at the left turn onto the highway. I figured if I couldn't make it two blocks from my place, I wasn't going to make it 15 miles. I turned around and went home.

This week promises another round of blizzard type weather and maybe even another foot of snow. I have no qualms about calling in at all. I don't try to be a hero in weather like this, I stay home.

[ShortTemperHatesStupidity]

Ya know, you bring up a good point. Why aren't more companies inclined to close if the roads are shitty? The ice storm last week-it took me 45 minutes to go 10 miles and only 1 of the several roads I drove on were plowed. I hate drifting sideways with no control over my 2 ton vehicle and I'm heading towards a guard rail...

[MadMike]

Why aren't more companies inclined to close if the roads are shitty?

I'd like to know that myself. I've been at my current job for 17 years now, and the number of times we've closed during that time, I could probably count on one hand. And even then, a couple of those were only because it was so bad that the governor closed all the roads.

We had a really bad one a couple weeks ago, and I said "Screw it!" because I couldn't even get out of my driveway. Naturally, they didn't close us, but at least my managers are pretty easygoing with taking a day off now and then, as long as my work isn't falling behind.

We used to have this one guy who was a real ass in charge, and this one guy tried to call off because the roads were bad, and he told him to come in anyway. On the way there, he slid out of control and ended up blowing a tire somehow. When he finally got there, he told the manager what happened, and angrily asked if the company was going to buy him a new tire. Of course, all he got in response was a brush-off, somewhere along the lines if, "I'll look into that."

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Ya know, you bring up a good point. Why aren't more companies inclined to close if the roads are shitty?

In the case of my company, if they decide to close stores due to bad weather, then they have to pay all the employees who would otherwise be working. I don't know if this is just company policy or a state law.

Therefore, our stores don't close for anything, except maybe the impending end of humanity.

That said, my store did close early for a blizzard we had last year, but not until 6:00 pm. That way they don't have to pay as many employees who are missing their shifts.

[ShortTemperHatesStupidity]

That way they don't have to pay as many employees who are missing their shifts.

My company does that-they close the office at 3 (we open at 8:30 and close at 5:30). That way, the people who took "voluntary leave" have to use a vacation day to pay for their time off on incliment weather. The other bitch of it is that our office is 5 minutes from corporate, so we don't close unless they do... and you know they aren't closing... bitches. :burnup:

[AFpheonix]

We have yet to have bad enough weather to shut down here. Yay for a temperate climate, I suppose.

However this winter we did have a pretty good (for here) snow storm. Some people couldn't make it in, which is understandable, the store is in a hilly area, this city doesn't have much in the way of plows and de-icing trucks, simply because we don't have much need.
The store manager, however, was throwing a shit fit if people called in. It's not like we were even all that busy.

Karma came to call when, on his way home, he hit an icy patch and slid into a pole. :devil: Muahahahaha!

[blas]

Our supervisor does get disappointed when lots of employees call in on bad weather nights....but at least he is understanding enough to realize that some of us aren't confident in driving in this, some of us live miles away, and some of us honestly don't care to risk our lives for $10 an hour.

Most of the time, I am sure I can do it. My father taught me how to whip shitties at age 13 in the JCPenny parking lot in our hometown to teach me control (and for some fun too). However, I still have mishaps like my Darth Vader spinout. I also realize that some people don't understand the concept of slowing down on icy roads and avoiding travel if at all possible. I also realize a lot of people do not have common sense in weather like this. I do not want my car damaged because some dumb hillbilly thinks his F350 is invincible on the ice.

Luckily I had vacation time I used this week. Unfortunately, it means I have to work more hours to acrue more, but to me, it's worth it, knowing I saved money and possibly even my life and my health.

[Lace Neil Singer]

If the roads are really bad, I won't come in. I refuse to risk my life riding a motorbike on icy roads, especially since the road which I take is twisty and turny.

[BookstoreEscapee]

BN pays you if you come in for your shift and they close early, you get paid for your full scheduled shift. If they close before your shift starts and you are told not to come in, you don't get paid but you can use personal time if you want. On Valentine's Day it was pretty bad here and took me over an hour to get to work (normally about half hour), and 2 other people called out. I wish I had called out cuz it was our post-holiday "holiday" party which took up half the day so we didn't get much done anyway. It wasn't worth going in for the party. Oh, and my street is something of an afterthought for the plow people most of the time.

[Pinkie]

Because my work place is considered "essential" (gas/electric company) I'm expected to come to work anyway possible, no matter what the weather. I'm in the call center and have to be there to take those electric outage calls and gas leak emergency calls. This wouldn't be bad, but then you get the annoying asshats that think we should be able to get the electric back on "right now" just because "mama has a heart condition and is on oxygen". I always respond with...."if this is a dire emergency, please contact her doctor or your local 911 agency to make sure she gets the medical attention she needs because we can not predict when we'll be able to get your service back on". I find that 5 times out of 10, "mama" doesn't live there and/or isn't on oxygen.......they just tell me that thinking we have a "special switch" in the office to magically turn the electric back on, even if the power line snapped.... Good thing hubby has a 4x4 truck....so I can go to work and deal with this sort of crap....(heavy on the sarcasm, can't you tell....) At least I get overtime.

[DannyboyO1]

My last job, did close early a couple times last year. One was a lovely little ice storm. I find it bad, but navigatable going slow. Until I reach a bridge. I was attempting to change lanes, because the fellow ahead of me was going about 15 miles per, and I had only slowed myself to about 40. Figured dropping my speed to 30 would be smart, but really didn't want to risk use of brakes.

So my car is now doing donuts on a stretch of highway, on a bridge. I think back to driver's ed. My life flashes before me. I remember "Turn into the skid... but if you start doing donuts... you're pretty much fucked."

After the drunk driver does the same thing and knocks both of us to the curb... waiting for the tow... there's a giant vehicle. I'd never quite seen the like. It's rumbling along and spreading salt. Dang thing nearly has tank treads. By the time the tow truck gets there, the road is actually pretty safe. I check my watch. Work let us out 30 min ago. The freezing rain had stopped. By 11, when my shift ended, (and when I got home anyway) there wasn't anything more to worry about.

So, if work hadn't let out for the horrible weather, bad enough for me to wreck in... I wouldn't have wrecked. Ugh. Reminded me of some early dismissals from school. Those always seemed to ensure that the bus would be out in the unplowed worst of it.

[Andara Bledin]

It's stories like this that make me glad I live in southern California.

The worst I've ever had to deal with was some minor flooding during a really heavy set of storms one January.

Oh, and I slipped on a patch of ice while walking to the bus this year. Ice! In southern California! What the heck was that about?

^-.-^