Eilat- Mori Chen
Waves battering an Eilat beach over the weekend. Photo by Mori Chen
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The weather outside may be frightful, but he who misses work due to flooding, snow or other forms of inclement weather won't necessarily be paid, says the head of Oketz Systems.

The winter weather that appeared suddenly over the weekend brought electricity poles, trees and water tanks crashing to the ground around the country, and caused temporary closures on roads to Eilat, Acre, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmona and parts of the country's center. Major sandstorms were reported in the Negev.

But none of that is an exuse for missing work, apparently.

People who cannot make it to the office due to bad weather can use one of their vacation days, said co-CEO Ami Bergman.

Oketz develops payroll systems and manpower software.

"If people can't get to the office because of floods, snow or other bad weather, the employer can declare in advance that it will be a day off and workers will be required to use one of their vacation days," he said.

"However, this has to be done before the employees arrive at the office. If the workers are already there by the time the employer declares a day off due to bad weather, the employees must be paid their full salary for that day."

Some companies pay their workers their full salary even when they are forced to skip work due to bad weather, he said, while others inform employees in advance that they'll be getting a day off.

Over the past few years, more and more workplaces have been enabling employees to work from home under such circumstances, Bergman added.

"In such cases, when the work can be done from home, employers can prepare for that possibility in advance so that operations won't be interrupted," he said.