We are in the midst of yet another great summer of sport.  Over the next few weeks the Rio Olympics, in particular, will cause many of us to be more than a little distracted from our work (and indeed our families, for that matter).  So what should you be doing in order to make sure that your business continues to run smoothly, despite all the excitement?

Holiday requests

When the big sporting events come around, you may have more people than usual asking for the same period of time off work.  Make sure that employees understand your procedures for requesting holiday and comply with them.  In particular, you might want to remind people of your right to refuse holiday requests, especially where they would leave you short-staffed.

If you receive competing holiday requests, do staff know how you will deal with them?  Obviously you want to be seen to be fair to all, so consider what approach you intend to adopt.  Typically, employers tend to apply a ‘first come, first served’ approach.

Watching sport at work

Some staff will want to continue to follow the action, even when they are at work.  However, clearly they shouldn’t allow this to adversely impact on their performance.  So make sure that people understand what is expected of them.  Are they allowed to watch the sport on their PCs or follow it on Twitter, for example?  If so, is this limited to lunchtimes and before and after work?  If you have an IT policy, does this properly reflect the rules?  If you don’t have an IT policy, do you need to put one in place?

How about showing some flexibility?

If people want to watch a particular event and are keen to come into work a little late or leave a bit early, consider whether you can accommodate their requests.  If they can reasonably make up the time elsewhere, what’s the harm? If you know that a number of people want to watch the same event, why not consider showing it on a big screen at your firm’s offices?  It might be a cheap and easy way of encouraging a bit of team bonding!

Pushing the boundaries

There is, of course, a risk that some people will break the rules and ‘pull a sickie’, whether to make sure that they can catch the ‘big race’ or because they are feeling a little the worse for wear after some liquid refreshment.  Again, make sure that people comply with your normal absence reporting requirements.  And, if you suspect foul play, consider whether you wish to treat the matter as a disciplinary issue.  Failing to attend work without a valid excuse will normally amount to an act of misconduct.

Of course, with any luck, people will act reasonably and responsibly and problems will be kept to a minimum.  Then we can all enjoy both smoothly running businesses and Team GB’s best medal tally ever.  Well, we can all dream, can’t we?