Weather Adjustments

Field service work is weather-dependent. Rain, extreme heat, or storms can disrupt your schedule. YardPilot makes it easy to adjust rosters when weather hits.

Types of Adjustments

Reduced Capacity

Work can continue but with fewer hours:

• Light rain - reduce from 6 to 4 hours
• High heat - reduce from 6 to 5 hours (more breaks)
• Wind - reduce for certain tasks only

Cancelled Day

No work possible:

• Heavy rain
• Severe storms
• Extreme heat warnings

Delayed Start

Start later when conditions improve:

• Morning frost
• Clearing weather forecast
• Afternoon storms expected

Making Weather Adjustments

Single Entry

1. Open the roster entry
2. Reduce capacity or change status to Off
3. Select Weather as the reason
4. Add notes (e.g., "Rain forecast, lawn work cancelled")
5. Save

Bulk Adjustment

When weather affects the whole team:

1. Go to roster for the affected day
2. Click Bulk Edit
3. Select all affected team members
4. Apply the change (reduce capacity or cancel)
5. Add weather reason
6. Save all

Pro Tip

Enable weather notifications in Settings → Operations → Weather Alerts to get early warnings for your service area.

Impact on Scheduled Visits

Warning Before Saving

When you reduce capacity, YardPilot checks scheduled visits:

• If visits fit in reduced capacity: proceeds normally
• If visits exceed capacity: shows warning with options

Options When Over Capacity

1. Proceed anyway - Accept reduced capacity, may need overtime
2. Reschedule visits - Move affected visits to another day
3. Reassign visits - Move to a team not affected by weather

Automatic Suggestions

YardPilot can suggest reschedule dates:

1. Shows days with available capacity
2. Considers client preferences
3. Groups visits efficiently

Recording Weather Events

Weather Log

Keep a record of weather impacts:

Date	Type	Impact	Notes
15 Mar	Rain	-40% capacity	Morning rain, pm cleared
22 Mar	Storm	Cancelled	Severe storm warning
28 Mar	Heat	-20% capacity	Above 38C, extra breaks

Reporting

Weather impacts appear in reports:

• Lost capacity due to weather
• Comparison by month/season
• Helps with planning and pricing

Client Communication

When Rescheduling

YardPilot can notify affected clients:

1. Select visits to reschedule
2. Choose new dates
3. Enable Notify clients
4. YardPilot sends automatic updates

Message Template

Set up a weather message template:

Due to weather conditions, your scheduled visit on [date] has been
rescheduled to [new date]. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Team Communication

When making weather adjustments:

1. Team members see updated roster immediately
2. Optional: send notification via app
3. Cancelled visits removed from their schedule

Payroll Considerations

Reduced Hours

When roster is reduced due to weather:

• Expected hours = reduced capacity
• Actual hours may vary
• Some businesses pay minimum hours

Stand-Down Rules

Configure your policy:

• Minimum hours guaranteed
• Make-up time available
• Leave options

Fair Work

Ensure your weather policy complies with Fair Work regulations and any employment agreements.

Planning Ahead

Seasonal Patterns

In your region, certain seasons bring weather challenges:

Season	Common Issues	Planning Tips
Summer	Heat, storms	Start early, finish by 2pm
Autumn	Storms, leaves	Flexible scheduling
Winter	Rain, short days	Reduce weekly capacity
Spring	Rain, growth spurts	Buffer for catch-up

Buffer Days

Leave capacity buffer for weather catch-up:

• Don't schedule 100% capacity
• Reserve Friday afternoon for rescheduled work
• Plan 10-15% buffer in wet season

Best Practices

1. Adjust early - Change roster as soon as you know
2. Communicate promptly - Let team and clients know
3. Document reasons - Helps with reporting and disputes
4. Review patterns - Adjust future capacity based on history
5. Plan buffers - Especially in unpredictable seasons

Next Steps

• Capacity Planning - Understand capacity impacts
• Time Tracking - Record what actually happened
• Weather Integration - View forecasts on your schedule