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Keeping businesses healthy, despite the World Cup fever

Posted
May 1, 2014
Employment Law

We find ourselves at the beginning of yet another great summer of sport.  Over the next few months the football World Cup, 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 employers be doing in order to make sure that their businesses continue to run smoothly, despite all the excitement?

Holiday requests When the big sporting events or fixtures come around, you may have more people than usual asking for the same periods 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 let this prevent them from getting their job done.  

So make sure that people understand what is expected of them.  Are they allowed to watch the sport on their PCs, 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 match or 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 game’ or because they are feeling a little the worse for wear, after celebrating (or commiserating) a crucial result.  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 England’s inevitable progression to their first World Cup win since 1966.  Well, we can all dream, can’t we? James Willis, Head of Employment, stevensdrake

This article is provided for general information only. Please do not make any decision on the basis of this article alone without taking specific advice from us. stevensdrake will only be responsible for the advice we give which is specific to you.

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