Recent research has discovered employees missing work due to the extreme weather conditions of recent weeks cost businesses an estimated £318 million.
The research, commissioned by Green Flag, found around 8.5 million employees were unable to work their contracted hours due to the snow.
Some 3.8 million people were found to have missed one day of work in the recent cold snap and over half a million missed two days
It is thought employees across the country missed a total of around 51 million work hours.
The weather also affected people’s transport choices. Some 19% of respondents stayed off the roads, fearing treacherous conditions.
However, 2.3 million people did brave the ice and snow, but were unable to complete their journey.
Some 12% took to public transport as they felt this was the safest option.
Green Flag spokesperson Miranda Schunke said: “It is not only the roads that have been frozen in the last week, for millions work commitments have been put on ice.
“Green Flag’s service personnel have been working round the clock to respond to record volumes of incidents, helping motorists that have found themselves in difficulty on the road.
“In future, we may see more drivers following the continental lead and investing in winter tyres and snow chains to help them cope with difficult driving conditions.”