Emad Barsoum: Snow day at work

When they were still at school, I remember how my children expressed their ecstatic happiness when they woke up one winter day, and we told them it was a snow day, no going to school. Their happiness is mainly driven not from being home but by the opportunity to spend the day playing in the snow with neighbors and friends. It is one of the pleasant moments for the parents as well watching the joy in their children’s eyes.

On the other side, the parents would be worried deep inside if one must stay home with the children when their age requires such an arrangement. In most cases, one of the parents will take the day off from work, which could be an unpaid day or deducted from their vacation balance. Nonetheless, is it fair to penalize the parents due to a force majeure? Do we have to abstain from supporting them when needed to stay with their children on such an unexpected exceptional day?

This matter became significantly pressing and even exceeded the children’s snow day where a parent is required to stay home caring for the younger ones.

During the last significant snowfall, which had more accumulation rates than we have experienced in many previous years, most people had difficulties in just getting their vehicles out of driveways, parking, or side streets. Those who could move their vehicles were mostly got stranded on main roads or highways. A situation resulted in massive absence or delays from work. Even worse, some commuters were trapped. They could not make it to work and could not return home.

The reaction of workplaces’ management and business owners varied oddly, between those few businesses who decided to close on that day and the majority who stayed open;. However, very few employees were able to reach their open workplace, the majority could not show at work.

However, the dilemma that appeared, and which no management had thought about before was how to pay those employees who could not be at their work that day, regardless of whether the workplace was opened or decided to close.

Most workers and employees understood that this day would be considered a nonpaid vacation or deducted from their vacation balance. But the same question arises again: are those employees responsible for such a situation of difficulty to reach work even after the fact that it was impossible for many of them to move out of their homes and be penalized due to such a ‘’force majeure”? And why business owners, corporate directors, and entrepreneurs did not show any sign of social responsibility and justice towards their workforce!

Most times, the business owners and corporate directors either intentionally or unintentionally disregard their social role in society. They tend to minimize the importance of their workforce as the main asset for success and continuity. Others we see them acting with more rigidness than the owners of these corporations they represent. They strive to be “Plus Royaliste Que Le Roi,” or, being more royalist than the king himself, thinking that by neglecting their social responsibility will acquire more personal gains.

A balanced prosperous society requires caring and thoughtful persons in charge, whether in the government, corporations, or any form of business. The workforce must be treated fairly.

Humanity comes first.