Employees Stranded Abroad: A Guide For SMEs
What SMEs Need To Know When Employees Cannot Return To Work As Planned.
Employees stranded abroad? Travel disruption can occur at any time and for a variety of reasons, including flight cancellations, air traffic control failures, airline strikes, severe weather, natural disasters and airport closures. When employees are stranded abroad and unable to return to work as planned, employers can be faced with difficult decisions relating to pay, annual leave, absence management and business continuity.
Whilst the circumstances may be outside the employee’s control, businesses still need to determine how the absence will be managed, whether the employee can work remotely and what support may be appropriate. This guide explains the options available to employers and highlights the practical and legal considerations when travel disruption prevents employees returning to work on time.
Common Reasons Employees Become Stranded Abroad
Most employees plan their travel carefully and fully expect to return to work on the agreed date. However, travel disruption can occur for a wide variety of reasons, many of which are outside the employee’s control.
Common causes of employees becoming stranded abroad include:
- Flight cancellations and delays.
- Air traffic control failures.
- Airline strikes and industrial action.
- Airport closures and operational disruption.
- Severe weather, including snow, storms and hurricanes.
- Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires.
- Political unrest, civil disturbances or security incidents.
- Travel restrictions, visa issues or changes to entry requirements.
Whilst the reason for the disruption may influence how long an employee is delayed, the key issues for employers are often the same: how the absence will be managed, whether the employee can work remotely, what arrangements will apply regarding pay and how the business can minimise disruption whilst supporting the employee.
Employees Travelling Abroad For Work
Where an employee becomes stranded abroad whilst travelling on company business, employers will generally have greater responsibility for supporting them than if the employee is travelling for personal reasons.
Before arranging overseas business travel, employers should consider whether the trip is necessary and whether alternative solutions, such as remote meetings or video conferencing, could achieve the same objective. Where travel is required, employers should ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place should disruption occur.
If an employee is unable to return home due to flight cancellations, severe weather, industrial action or other travel disruption, employers should maintain regular contact and provide practical support where appropriate. This may include helping the employee rearrange travel, arranging accommodation or providing guidance on expenses and insurance claims.
Related articles: Adverse Weather Policy | Managing Transport Disruption In The Workplace
Many employees travelling for work will be able to continue working remotely whilst waiting for their return journey to be rearranged. Where this is possible, employers should discuss priorities, deadlines and any meetings or activities that may be affected by the delay.
Employers should also ensure they have appropriate business travel insurance in place and that employees understand what support, expenses and assistance may be available if travel disruption occurs.
As the employee’s travel arose directly from their employment, they would normally continue to receive their usual pay whilst stranded abroad.
Employees On A Personal Holiday
Where an employee becomes stranded abroad whilst on a personal holiday, they should follow the Company’s normal absence reporting procedures as soon as they become aware that they will be unable to return to work as planned.
Employees should provide as much information as possible, including the reason for the delay, the steps they are taking to return to the UK and their expected return date. Regular updates should be provided where circumstances change or a return date remains uncertain.
Maintaining open communication allows employers to assess the likely impact on the business and consider what options may be available, such as remote working, annual leave, making up lost time or unpaid leave.
Although the disruption may be outside the employee’s control, employers are not automatically required to provide financial assistance or continue paying employees who are unable to attend work. However, some employers may choose to offer support as a gesture of goodwill, particularly where the employee has taken reasonable steps to return home as quickly as possible.
If an employee fails to return to work as expected and makes no attempt to notify the Company, employers should make reasonable efforts to contact them and establish the reason for their absence. Where no explanation is provided, the absence may need to be treated as unauthorised and managed in accordance with the Company’s absence or disciplinary procedures.
Questions Employers Should Ask
Before deciding how an employee’s absence should be treated, employers should take the time to understand the circumstances. Not every situation will be the same and the answers to a few key questions can help determine what support, if any, should be provided.
Questions to consider include:
- When did the employee become aware of the travel disruption?
- What steps did they take to return to the UK as soon as possible?
- What alternative travel arrangements were available?
- When did they notify the Company that they would be delayed?
- Are they able to work remotely whilst stranded abroad?
- How long is the delay expected to last?
- Has the employee kept the Company updated throughout the disruption?
The answers to these questions will help determine how the absence should be managed and whether the employee has acted reasonably in the circumstances.
Should Employees Be Paid?
There is no single answer to whether an employee should be paid whilst stranded abroad. The appropriate approach will depend on the circumstances, the reason for the delay, whether the employee is able to work and the arrangements agreed between the employer and employee.
Remote Working
If the employee can carry out their duties remotely, continuing to work may be the most practical solution. Where productive work is being undertaken, the employee would normally continue to receive their usual pay.
Related article: Flexi Time Policy
Annual Leave
Where sufficient holiday entitlement remains available, the employee may request additional annual leave to cover some or all of the extended absence. Employers may choose to approve this as a practical solution, even where the normal notice requirements for annual leave cannot be met.
Related article: Holiday Entitlement Guide For SMEs
Making Up Lost Time
Some employers may allow employees to make up lost time following their return to work. This could be through flexible working arrangements, time off in lieu arrangements or additional agreed hours worked over a specified period.
Related article: Flexi Time Policy
Unpaid Leave
Where the employee is unable to work and no alternative arrangement can be agreed, the absence may be treated as unpaid leave. Employers should discuss this with the employee and confirm any agreement in writing.
Paid Leave
Some employers may choose to continue paying employees as a gesture of goodwill, particularly where the employee has taken all reasonable steps to return home and the disruption was clearly outside their control. Whilst there is generally no obligation to do so, a discretionary approach may support employee relations and wellbeing.
Combination Approaches
In practice, a combination of options may provide the most sensible solution. For example, an employee might work remotely for part of the period, use annual leave for some days and take the remainder as unpaid leave. The most appropriate arrangement will depend on the individual circumstances and the needs of the business.
Top Tip: Whatever approach you choose, apply it consistently. Similar situations should generally be treated in a similar way unless there is a genuine reason for taking a different approach.
When Disciplinary Action May Be Appropriate
In most cases, employees who become stranded abroad will have done everything reasonably possible to return to work on time. Where the delay is genuinely outside the employee’s control and they have kept the Company informed, disciplinary action is unlikely to be appropriate.
However, there may be circumstances where an employee’s actions, or failure to act, contribute to the problem. In these situations, employers may need to consider whether disciplinary action is justified.
Examples may include:
- Failing to notify the Company that they will be unable to return to work as planned.
- Making little or no effort to rearrange travel and return to the UK as soon as reasonably possible.
- Deliberately extending a holiday once travel disruption has been resolved.
- Travelling abroad despite knowing before departure that they were unlikely to be able to return to work on the agreed date.
- Ignoring cancelled flights, travel warnings or other known issues before departure.
- Unreasonably refusing alternative travel arrangements that would have enabled an earlier return.
Before taking disciplinary action, employers should fully investigate the circumstances and give the employee an opportunity to explain what happened and what steps they took to return to work. Decisions should be based on the facts of the individual case rather than assumptions about the employee’s intentions.
Any disciplinary action should be reasonable, proportionate and consistent with how similar situations have been handled in the past.
Related articles: Conducting a Fair Investigation | Conducting a Disciplinary Hearing
Common Mistakes Employers Make
Travel disruption can be frustrating for both employers and employees. Whilst there is rarely a perfect solution, avoiding the following common mistakes can help minimise disruption and maintain positive employee relations.
- Assuming all absences must be unpaid: Employers are not automatically required to pay employees who are unable to return to work due to travel disruption. However, there may be circumstances where annual leave, remote working, paid leave or a combination of options provides a more practical solution.
- Failing to communicate with employees: Maintaining regular contact allows employers to understand the situation, plan workloads and provide appropriate support. Employees should be encouraged to keep the business informed of any changes to their expected return date.
- Making decisions without understanding the circumstances: Before deciding how an absence should be treated, employers should establish what happened, what steps the employee took to return to work and whether any reasonable alternatives were available.
- Treating similar situations differently: Employees are more likely to accept difficult decisions when they can see that similar situations are being handled consistently. Inconsistent treatment can damage employee relations and increase the risk of disputes.
- Jumping straight to disciplinary action: Most employees who become stranded abroad are dealing with circumstances outside their control. Employers should investigate the facts and understand the employee’s actions before considering whether disciplinary action is appropriate.
A practical, consistent and well-communicated approach will often help employers resolve travel disruption issues quickly whilst maintaining positive working relationships.
Consistency Matters
Travel disruption can affect employees in different ways, but employers should aim to apply a consistent approach whenever staff are unable to return to work as planned. Whilst every situation will have its own circumstances, employees are more likely to accept decisions when they can see that similar cases are treated fairly and consistently.
Consistency does not mean that every employee must receive exactly the same outcome. Factors such as the reason for the disruption, the steps taken to return to work, the employee’s communication with the business and whether remote working is possible may all be relevant considerations.
Before making decisions about pay, annual leave, unpaid leave or disciplinary action, employers should gather the facts, consider the available options and apply their policies in a fair and reasonable manner.
A consistent approach helps maintain trust, supports positive employee relations and reduces the risk of grievances or allegations of unfair treatment.
How Kea HR Can Help
Travel disruption can create uncertainty for both employers and employees. Whether an employee is stranded abroad due to cancelled flights, severe weather, industrial action or other unforeseen circumstances, having clear policies and a consistent approach can help minimise disruption and avoid disputes.
At Kea HR, we help SMEs develop practical HR solutions that balance business needs with employee wellbeing.
We can support your business with:
- Absence Management – helping you manage unexpected employee absence fairly, consistently and in line with current employment law.
- Annual Leave Policies – reviewing and developing holiday policies that provide clear guidance on leave requests, carry-over arrangements and unexpected travel disruption.
- Flexible Working Arrangements – helping businesses introduce practical flexible working solutions that support operational needs whilst providing greater flexibility for employees.
- Manager Guidance And Support – equipping managers with the confidence to deal with difficult situations, make consistent decisions and communicate effectively with employees.
- Employee Handbooks – creating and reviewing employee handbooks that set clear expectations and provide managers with practical guidance when issues arise.
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