Q: Do I need to pay my employees if my company has closed or temporarily shut down operations due to a natural disaster or inclement weather?
A: It depends.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and in anticipation of the upcoming winter snow season, many employers are questioning whether they need to pay employees when their company cannot open due to a natural disaster or inclement weather.
Whether an employee needs to be paid will typically turn on whether the employee is exempt or nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under federal law, nonexempt employees only are entitled to payment for “hours worked.” Therefore, if a business is forced to shut down for a period of time due to a hurricane, blizzard, or other challenge imposed by Mother Nature, there is no obligation under federal law for an employer to pay nonexempt employees. This makes sense because, quite simply, if a non-exempt employee does not work, there is no requirement to pay them. Employers do have the option of permitting non-exempt employees to use vacation or other paid time off during periods of inclement weather.
Companies generally will be required to pay salaried nonexempt employees in the event of a natural disaster unless the employer’s operations are shut down for more than one workweek. Under the FLSA, salaried exempt employees are entitled to receive their full salary for any workweek in which they perform any work (regardless of the number of days or hours worked). As such, if an employer closes its facilities due to natural disaster for less than a full workweek, an exempt employee must still be paid his or her full salary for the workweek. An employer only is entitled to withhold payment of wages to salaried exempt employees if the employer is closed for an entire workweek and the salaried exempt employee performs no work during that workweek. Should an employer decide to close its facility for more than one workweek, an employer can permit an exempt employee to take vacation/paid time off or allow the employee to work remotely.
Paying employees when a business is closed due to weather concerns is not always legally required but doing so will certainly improve employee morale—especially in instances of a life-altering hurricanes like Harvey and Irma where employees have suffered the loss of a home or personal property. If questions arise regarding payment of employees during natural disasters, consult a labor and employment law attorney.