Niagara College’s Severe Weather policy and related procedure regarding staff attendance have recently been updated to include our remote learning and workplace environments.
In the event of a College campus closure due to severe weather, all employees working remotely or delivering online classes will continue to fulfill their regular responsibilities as scheduled.
All employees who work at a campus where a closure is announced prior to the start of normal working hours do not have to report for duty – unless they are advised by the College that their services are required. If working hours have commenced on campus before a closure is announced, employees may be released by their supervisor (following instructions from the Incident Management Team).
When College campuses remain open during adverse weather conditions, staff and faculty who are normally on campus are expected to report for work and take every reasonable precaution while travelling to and from campus.
Reminders
- Decisions to close before the start of the day will be made as early as possible, with an intent to alert the College community by 6:30 a.m. via the College’s website and social media. Local media will also be notified in the event of a campus closure.
- Those who do not wish to report for work when the College location they normally attend is open, may request to take a leave without pay for the day or a vacation day. Full-time support staff members also have the option of using lieu time (as detailed in article 6.6.4. of their collective agreement).
- Faculty who choose not to report for their scheduled classes when the College is open must notify their associate dean as soon as possible.
- If the College closes due to severe weather during a staff member’s approved vacation day, it will be recorded as vacation being taken.
- Part-time employees will be paid for scheduled shifts that are cancelled due to a campus closure in inclement weather.
