Dear Rachel,
 As you know, as we all know, the East Coast has been socked hard by snow storms, which of course comes with the territory. What shouldn’t come with the territory is all the extra work that gets dumped on me whenever it snows. Our agency has what they call liberal leave, which means that during weather like we’ve been having people can choose to stay at home and take the day as a vacation day. Trouble is, too many simply take it as an excuse to cut work, and I get loaded down with their work, since I show up no matter what. (I live only a mile away.) Still others claim they are working from home but, funny, when you call no one answers. Management appears to think this is all fine. Help me here. Do think I have a beef or what? – Beefed

Dear Beefed,
You may but I think you have a tough job ahead of you if management seems not to care.

Fact is, bad weather used to be taken as just one of life’s burdens, especially in parts of the country where winters are harsh. But more and more I sense snow days are seen as a holiday of sorts.

Just check out the local bars during a snow storm. Stores will be closed up and down the street but they’ll be standing six deep at the local saloon, guzzling beer and carrying on joyously, as if they’d all just been released from prison.

I think you have just three options, and none is particularly appealing.

You could simply grin and bear it, as the saying goes, hoping for the fewest snow days the weather will allow.

You could join the rest of the office and stay home.

But of course that would mean giving up a vacation day. And besides how would you spend that time at home? You’d probably end up working, or at least thinking about work, and that’s no way to spend a vacation day.

Your third option is to go to management with a plan designed to handle the work during snow days, where everyone agrees that certain people will show up for work no matter what. They could be people who live closest to the office, or they could be people with rugged vehicles (or constitutions) who enjoy the challenge of driving to work when the show is falling at its heaviest.

Your argument is simple. Someone needs to be there to handle the phones and the deadline work that must be completed.

But don’t bet management will buy into the idea, beyond giving it an approving nod. It sounds like they’re perfectly happy with the way things are.