Lauren Gaughan, 32, spent a frigid winter very pregnant in Maine, while her husband worked in the Navy shipyard there.

She worked in a pharmacy, with lots of steady and overtime hours to keep herself busy at the end of her pregnancy.

The native Arizonian, who had previously lived in sunny San Diego before Maine, was not so accustomed to the snow, sleet and blustery temperatures.

Getting to the pharmacy before it opened to a line of waiting clients had a learning curve, for sure, Gaughan said.

“I just threw on a lot of layers and headed out super early,” she said.

It was the only way to guarantee she could get to work on time, she added.

And that’s exactly what you have to do, said Ann Marie Sabath, president of At Ease, Inc., a firm specializing in domestic and international business etiquette programs.

“The bottom line is, losers make excuses; winners find solutions, even in inclement weather,” Sabath said.

Sabath recommends that before the winter hits, you have a “plan of attack” in place, in case a storm is brewing.

If you have children, make sure you have at least two on-call babysitters lined up in case schools and daycares are closed.

“If you’re sick, you take a sick day.  Otherwise, plan ahead because it’s unfair to your employer for you to make excuses,” she said.

Make sure you know what the weather forecast says, she added.  You will likely need to leave for work early, very early.  She recommends a several-hour cushion, accounting for the fact that snow and sleet can affect private and public transit.

In your planner, Sabath recommends you “write down the time you have to leave, not the time you have to be there.”

Pack your lunches and your children’s lunches the night before.  Lay out everyone’s clothes.  Teach your children to get up and make their own beds promptly and get dressed.

“Be an effective delegator” in your home, she added.

Unless your manager previously announced the offices will be closed, expect to go to work, even if you’re leaving three hours early, she said.

“There are people behind you in line for your job, she said.

Know what your employer expects, said Matthew Randall, the executive director of the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania.

Have the conversation before a storm hits.  What does he or she expect when schools cancel?  When certain roads are closed?  Know, don’t guess, Randall said.

Sabath said at a certain company she worked with, she watched two young professionals compete for a promotion.  One was incompetent and inefficient but showed up on time every day. The other was always a little late, but superb at their job.  The former, less competent employee got the promotion.

“If you can’t manage your time, you can’t manage your money,” Sabath said.

You should “always be kept waiting; never keep others waiting,” she said.

If you manager gets to work at 8 a.m., then you do, too, if not before.

“You’re not working for your health,” Sabath said. “You want to compete with others at your level.”

Some companies do have a “work from home” policy during certain kinds of inclement weather, Randall said.

If that’s the case, you want to make sure you send off an e-mail in the morning to your boss, telling them you’re checking in and bullet-pointing what you’ll be working on during the day.  Check in frequently, and make sure they know the best way to reach you.  Keep them updated on how your goals for the day are going.

And be aware that this “isn’t always a possibility with every job,” Randall said.

Sabath agrees.  Blizzard or not, you have to continue to do your job and keep in touch with those above you.

“It’s all perception,” she said. “Your job is valuable. You should treat it with the same 24-carat gold care that you do your family.”