Ready for the Next Disaster? The Case for Climate Leave
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Unlimited PTO was a rarity until the pandemic revealed that it has certain advantages over traditional leave during a crisis – and now one in five employers offer unlimited PTO to at least some employees, according to a recent survey. But employers should also consider whether their current leave policies can handle another type of disruptive event that is occurring with increasing frequency -- climate-related disasters. While there is some regulatory guidance for responding to these events, it’s worth taking a fresh look at how you could best support employees facing a flood, fire or tornado in their area.
It's clear that climate change is a health crisis – increasing deaths, causing infectious diseases, exacerbating chronic conditions, and negatively impacting mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that climate change will be responsible for $4-6B in costs to health by 2030, and will result in 250K additional annual deaths between 2030 and 2050.
We have written about what organizations can do to help mitigate their impact on climate change. But when the next hurricane strikes, how can you support employees who need to evacuate from their home and workplace? For the most part, employers’ responses have been reactionary– providing flexibility with the onset of the climate event (assuming there is warning) and in the aftermath. Some provide emergency PTO; some instruct employees to use existing PTO or vacation days.
But as climate events and impacts increase in frequency, more employers are taking a proactive approach. For example, Glitch has already put climate-change-related leave policies in writing, which provides employees with peace of mind and gives managers clear guidance on what the company considers reasonable so they can support team members in the moment. If you’d like to update your leave policies and get out in front of the next climate-change event, here are a few steps to get you started:
Analyze your risks. What are the most prevalent climate change events in the areas where your employees live and work? Employees in the West will face wildfires, while those on the East and Gulf Coasts can expect hurricanes. In much of the South, tornadoes are becoming more common.
Calculate the amount of leave employees would need for an “average” climate change event in their location – in the case of a hurricane, for example, that might be 2-3 days to evacuate, get settled in a safe location, and return home when it’s over. However, employees who cannot work remotely will likely need more time than those who can, and employers will have to consider how office closures impact leaves.
Define how to qualify for climate leave. Employers can leave it up to the employee and their supervisor to determine when climate leave is necessary, or define it more specifically as needing either an evacuation warning/order or a state of emergency declaration to qualify. It’s important to provide enough guidance so employees know when they can use the climate leave allowed.
Document the policy in employee handbooks and other materials or sites that employees use to find information about leaves. Consider including climate leave information on company emergency websites as well as Human Resources websites so employees can find it easily. Climate events are hard on everyone, but hourly and low-wage workers may struggle the most with the economic repercussions of missing work. Climate leave can play an important part of an employee well-being program that seeks to reduce financial and health inequities.