Attendance Policy

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? IA
I work for a company who will give you attendance points and possibly fire you, if you can't get to work even in extreme weather conditions, travel not advised, Ice storms etc. Because we need the job, my husband and I ignored the warning and the DOT posted at our city telling people to not leave town. It took us two hours to do a 30 minute drive and we still got attendance points for being late. Is this an unreasonable demand on the part of our employer. It is creating a hostile working environment not just on our part but for other employees as well. When you try to talk to the center director, he just says, you made the choice to work far away from home. I say he knew where I lived when he hired me? Also, if we were to get into an accident, can they be liable? Any help is appreciated.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

The director is correct.

It is not his problem how long your commute is.

Not the way I would handle it, but not illegal.

And no, you can't blame your employer for an accident unless he is driving the car that hit you.

By the way, the term "hostile work environment" has a specific meaning under the law and does not apply here.

HWE does NOT mean that everyone is upset. It means that you are being discriminated against for your inclusion in a group specifically listed by law.

This is not the case here.

ohsosorry said:

It is creating a hostile working environment not just on our part but for other employees as well.

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You need to consider how much you are contributing to the "hostile work environment" when you complain about the situation to your fellow employees. Management doesn't like employees who adversely impact morale. The distance you have to drive to work may wind up being the least of your troubles.

Quit your whining.

I have a two hour, one way commute. We had an ice storm the other day. The roads were glare ice. I was moving about an inch a minute, no exaggeration, for a full five minutes because the roads were so slick my tires couldn't get traction. And you know when I got to work? I was only 45 minutes late. And I made up the time.

Whether it's unreasonable or not, your employer is within his rights to assign you "attendance points" if you don't get to work on time. This does not come even remotely close to meeting the legal definition of a hostile work environment. No, you cannot sue your employer if you get into an accident. And if you keep up the whining, you may not have to worry about how "long" your commute is because you won't have a job.

ohsosorry said:

When you try to talk to the center director, he just says, you made the choice to work far away from home. I say he knew where I lived when he hired me?

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This may be the most absurd statement I've ever heard... well, at least today. If one of my reports indignantly told me "Well, you knew where I lived when you hired me", I would walk them out the door and probably mutter something snarky like "... and I know where you live as I fire you."

If you do not like the commute, move closer. If you do not like the weather, get a FWD vehicle. If the weather is inclement, leave earlier. If you do not like their attitude, find a new job. There are very simple solutions to your problems, none of which involve trying to sue your employer because you live too far away.

Have you tried to work out a telecommuting arrangement in writing and in advance of inclement weather?