Natural disasters can impact businesses and their workforces in many ways and during these challenging times safety is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Many businesses in disaster zones may be forced to close temporarily due to safety concerns, power or service disruptions to property or access to their premises. They may also need assistance with re–opening their workplace with the help of their team. It’s critical businesses have clear and consistent advice and information available to them to make decisions based on their specific business, community and customer circumstances.   Our expert Workplace Advisors are on standby to help on 1300 731 988. 

Frequently asked questions:  

What happens if an employee cannot work during a disaster? 

If an employee cannot work due to circumstances beyond the employer’s control like a natural disaster, there are a range of things to consider such as alternative working arrangements, or access to leave entitlements.  In some instances, employers may also need to consider whether to stand staff down, particularly if it’s not viable to operate.   

Employers can choose to pay employees on standdown, however, whether an employee is entitled to payment is dependent on the applicable modern award and other specific circumstances.  

While most modern awards do not provide for payment during natural disasters, some awards do have clauses that can affect whether there is an entitlement to some payment. For example, 

• The Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 has a clause surrounding inclement weather (clause 24).
• The Road Transport (Long Distance Operations) Award 2020 has a clause surrounding delays, breakdown or impassable highways (clause 15). 

Similarly, some enterprise agreements provide for disaster pay. 

Where there is no entitlement, you can choose to offer staff access to annual or personal leave. Employers cannot use an employee’s annual leave without their permission, so clear approval must be sought before leave is processed and paid. 

Employers should also consider industry standards when making decisions about payroll during natural disasters. 

How can I bring my employees back to work safely? 

If it is safe, you can direct employees to return to work. Some workplaces will have employees still affected by the weather event – mainly road closures preventing people from accessing the worksite and power outages. 

As part of a business recovery effort, employees can be asked to perform duties outside their normal scope – such as mopping, sweeping and rubbish removal. If asking employees to perform these duties, employers should apply appropriate management strategies to address new workplace risks. For example, ensure employees are wearing appropriate footwear and gloves when handling damaged items for disposal to address hygiene and manual handling risk. Also provide appropriate supervision and isolate any unsafe areas that require attention from an accredited professional e.g. live electricals. 

Employees can refuse to work on safety grounds, however that refusal must be reasonable. If this occurs, employers are encouraged to consult with those employees about their concerns and the risk management strategies you intend to put in place to mitigate their concerns. Appropriate consultation will often remove employee safety concerns and it provides you with the chance to address what’s  reasonable in terms of  any ongoing refusal. 

Tailored support for your business and workforce  

If you need support to manage your workforce during a disaster, contact Business Chamber Queensland’s Workplace Services team.  

We understand there is a lot to think about to effectively and safely manage your workforce during and in the aftermath of a disaster.  Our expert Workplace Advisors are here to help.  Business Chamber Queensland Business Essentials and Business Evolve members can make unlimited calls to our Workplace Services Hotline for Human Resources support. Plus, all Business Chamber Queensland members can access Workplace Consulting Services at discounted rates.   

You can also join our free webinar on Tuesday, March 11 at 9am to understand, navigate and meet workplace obligations.  

Free webinar – what employers need to know about managing your workforce impacted by a disaster 

Hear from our expert workplace team on what disaster-impacted businesses need to know to manage their workforce. Understand employers’ obligations to their workforce, how to pay employees during a stand-down and how to get your team back to business and working in a safe environment. 

This is a free webinar for all disaster impacted and recovering business in Queensland.  

When: Tuesday, March 11 from 9am
Zoom Webinar
Register here