Old fashioned thinking holds businesses back in countless ways, but that doesn’t deter them.

See how this worker can get some good things out of an outdated policy.

You are NOT allowed to work from home.

This was 2018ish, pre-pandemic.

I was working at a nuclear power plant in the mid-Atlantic. Once or twice a year we would get a heavy snowstorm, but we were far enough south that the local government wouldn’t plow or salt anything other than the main roads.

The power plant has a “policy” during inclement weather that no matter how long it takes you to get to work if you make it in you get paid for the day, otherwise you have to take vacation.

This didn’t seem necessary.

I, like a majority of my coworkers, live in the closest large city which is an hour away. The drive to the power plant is 1/2 interstate, 1/2 hilly, curvy country road.

I wake up and see we have about 10” of snow over night and text my supervisor to ask if I can work from home. I have my laptop with me, don’t have any work going on that I would need to be inside the power plant, and I’d mostly be reviewing paperwork anyway.

Supervisor tells me the “policy” for inclement weather and that he was at work already and the roads “weren’t that bad.” I reiterate that I would just be sitting at my desk doing paperwork when I eventually get in. He is hearing none of this and tells me I am not allowed to work from home.

I need to drive the 50+ miles to work or take vacation.

Nice try.

I didn’t even bother to respond and decided take the vacation day. I head to a local store about a half mile (0.8 km) away and pick up some snow sleds. I was driving a 4×4 and had some trouble getting to/from the store.

The wife and I do some sledding in the neighborhood, have some hot chocolate, and other classic “snow day” activities.

Around 11:00 I get a text from my supervisor, “OP, are you able to come in to work, hardly anyone showed up because of the snow. There is some document we need reviewed. And we really need you here in case we need someone to do something in the power plant.”

I tell him sorry, but I’m taking vacation today, per the “policy.” He tells me he’s emailing me the document to review and he can sign it for me if I approve. I replied, “I’d take a look at it if I could, by my supervisor told me I wasn’t allowed to work from home”.

He never responded to that and I never heard anything else about it, but I didn’t have to work that day, which was nice.

Here is what people are saying.

And it’s not satire…

But they’ll all retire soon enough.

This way is better.

It’s weird when they think they’re doing security, but they aren’t.

I bet. It’s so wrong.

Safety is NOT first.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.