StartEaseWeather and emergency closure pay policy: what it is and how to set it up
How to handle pay when the workplace closes for a storm or emergency, what federal rules say for hourly and exempt salaried staff, and how to set up a weather or emergency policy in StartEase.
What is a weather and emergency closure pay?
A weather or emergency policy covers time when the workplace closes or work is not available: a storm, a power cut, a building problem.
Why companies offer it
- Employees know in advance whether a closure is paid.
- Payroll records every closure the same way.
- It protects exempt salaries from improper deductions.
What the law says, in short
For hourly (non-exempt) staff, federal law does not require pay for time not worked. For exempt salaried staff, federal rules say deductions may not be made for absences caused by the employer or the operating needs of the business: if the employee is ready, willing and able to work, pay may not be cut for time when work is not available. Exempt staff must get the full salary for any week in which they do any work.
How to set up a weather or emergency policy in StartEase
- Open Time › Time off and scroll to Policies.
- Under Add a policy, choose Weather or emergency, then select Add policy.
- Fill in each block below. The example is a sample "Office closed" policy: your company chooses its own numbers.
- In Review and turn on, read the summary sentence and select Turn on this policy.
This example is Unlimited, so StartEase keeps no balance and the Caps block does not appear.
Basics
The name, the kind of leave, whether it is paid, and what employees read about it. More on this block.
| Box | What it means | In this example |
|---|---|---|
| Policy name | The name employees see when they ask for time off and on their balances. Required. | "Office closed" |
| Kind of leave | What the leave is for. It picks the help link and the extra checks. It does not change how the balance is counted. Required.
| Weather or emergency |
| Pay | Whether the hours are paid. Required.
| Paid Paid avoids cutting an exempt salary by mistake. |
| Description for employees | Up to 600 characters on My time off: who qualifies and what the leave covers. Keep medical details out. | "Used by the company when the workplace closes for weather or an emergency." |
Earning
How the balance grows. Nothing is earned until a payroll is approved. More on this block.
| Box | What it means | In this example |
|---|---|---|
| How it is earned | How the balance grows. Required.
| Unlimited (no balance kept) Closures cannot be planned, so no balance is kept. |
Rules
Waiting periods, negative balances, a yearly use limit and payout at exit. More on this block.
| Box | What it means | In this example |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting periods are counted in | The unit for the two waiting periods below.
| Days from the hire date |
| Before it can be used | Leave can be earned but not taken before this. Blank for none. | Blank |
| Most hours that can be used in a policy year | A yearly limit on hours taken. Blank for no limit. | Blank |
Requests
How employee requests are handled. More on this block.
| Box | What it means | In this example |
|---|---|---|
| Approve employee requests automatically | Ticked: a request that follows the rules is approved at once. Unticked: the Employer or payroll team approves each one. | Unticked |
| Most calendar days in one request | For example 10. Blank for no limit. | Blank |
| Days of notice an employee must give | For example 3 means the first day must be at least 3 days away. Leave you record yourself is not checked. Blank for none. | Blank |
Employees
Who the policy covers and where each balance starts. More on this block.
| Box | What it means | In this example |
|---|---|---|
| All employees, including people added later | Ticked: everyone is covered, now and later. Unticked: tick each employee in the table. | Ticked |
| Starting balance (hours) | Hours the employee already has, for example from your old system. Blank starts at 0. | Not used: no balance is kept |
| As of | The date that starting balance is correct. Earning counts from this date, or from the policy's start date if blank. | Blank |
Review and turn on
The last check before employees can use the policy. More on this block.
| Box | What it means | In this example |
|---|---|---|
| Ready, or "N to finish" | Ready means every required box is filled. "2 to finish" means two boxes marked Required are empty. | |
| Check the rules for this work location | Shown for sick, jury duty, parental, weather and custom policies. Local law can set rules for these. | |
| The summary sentence | The policy in one line, for example "Paid. 80 hours a year, spread over each paycheck". Read it before you turn the policy on. | |
| Turn on this policy / Turn off | Turns the policy on for the employees covered, or off. A new policy starts turned off. | |
| Delete this policy | Only while no leave has been recorded on it. After that you can turn it off but not delete it. |
Common questions
Can I make a closure unpaid?
For hourly staff, federal law allows it, but check your state. For exempt salaried staff, a closure in a week when they work generally cannot reduce their salary.
Who records closure days?
Usually the Employer or payroll team, with Record leave on the Time off page.
For hourly (non-exempt) staff, federal law does not require pay for time not worked. For exempt salaried staff, federal rules say deductions may not be made for absences caused by the employer or the operating needs of the business: if the employee is ready, willing and able to work, pay may not be cut for time when work is not available. Exempt staff must get the full salary for any week in which they do any work.
Sources (government sites):