Be prepared for the world cup
With the 2010 World Cup nearly upon us, the chances are that a large proportion of employees across the UK are already thinking about how and where they will be watching the key games. Colaw employment law consultants are urging businesses across the East Midlands to take effective steps to ensure they are fully prepared for one of the biggest sporting events of the year.
A recent poll found that one in four employees is planning to watch the tournament in working hours, highlighting the need for businesses to prepare for key staff members taking holiday leave or requesting flexible working hours.
Many businesses understand the importance of major sporting events, especially the World Cup, and are taking steps to ensure staff are able to watch games on large screen TVs during breaks. Some have even seen the tournament as a unique opportunity to build team morale by organising football-themed evening events that staff can be involved in.
Staff motivation is a key part of business success. To be the best businesses have to recruit and retain the best, and events like this help to motivate staff. Events like the World Cup can be successfully incorporated into the work-life balance if the right policies and procedures are adopted and understood. By going this 'extra mile' many will be seen as an employer of choice and be appreciated by staff. Colaw employment law consultants are on hand to help the region's businesses draw up policies and procedures to avoid 'World Cup fever' and ensure their staff are kept happy and motivated… that is, of course, unless England loses!”
The World Cup will lead to a number of people wanting time off to enjoy the games. As a result, employers need to prepare for an increase in annual leave requests and the effect this will have on their business.
It's important to communicate to your staff exactly what your plans are for the World Cup. Your flexibility and innovation will be welcomed by staff and will increase morale.”
The World Cup kicks off on Friday 11 June at 3pm with England's first game against the USA on Saturday 12 June at 7.30pm.
Of course employers have no obligation to cater for their employees’ interest in the tournament, but evidence suggests that where employers demonstrate they care about their staff and their interests outside work, employees are more likely to go the extra mile for the organisation. Some employers may see the World Cup as an opportunity to rebuild employee morale hit hard by the recession.
There are a variety of approaches that employers can consider to ensure that employees can make the most of the World Cup without compromising the needs of the business in any way:
Flexible hours
Allowing staff flexibility over starting and finishing work earlier or later, providing core business hours are covered, is one fairly straightforward way that employers might consider. Allowing staff to take time off to watch games providing they make the time up on another day is another possible solution.
Shift swaps are another approach to providing staff flexibility to watch games while ensuring that business is not compromised. Asda is introducing a ‘shift swap’ scheme for all staff to allow them to rearrange their shifts around different games, provided they can find the appropriate level of cover. This approach may be particularly appropriate in organisations where it is more difficult to provide informal flexibility over hours because of the need to provide constant 24/7 service or production.
Employers might consider providing unpaid leave for staff, providing this does not interfere with business operations. During the 2006 World Cup, supermarket chain Asda gave its 150,000 UK employees the chance to take up to two weeks’ unpaid leave during the tournament.
If employers have the room then they may consider screening matches on their premises. This may be particularly appropriate if firms are located out of town, for example in a business park, without a pub in close proximity. An on-site screening is a good opportunity to build team spirit; however, it should be remembered that not everyone will be interested in watching the football so people should not be made to feel excluded if they don’t want to get involved.
Some employers may allow staff to keep track of matches on a TV or radio while they work, or provide TVs or radios in rest rooms; however, it is important to consider the possible drawbacks of such approaches. For example, it is difficult for staff to keep focused on work with the distraction of a match in progress and some staff with no interest may resent that they are having to work harder to compensate for distracted colleagues. There may also be health and safety considerations with potential risks caused by staff who don’t have their full attention on the task at hand.
If matches are screened in rest rooms, some employees may find it hard to leave once their breaks are over if matches are at a critical point – or they may be tempted to sneak back for an update during work time.
Employers should remind employees of their Internet use and monitoring policies. There will of course be minute-to-minute updates on the Web, and some games may be available to view live via the Internet. It is up to individual employers to decide whether they are happy for employees to keep track of games or take a zero-tolerance approach. However, the important thing is to communicate to staff what the policy is and why, in advance of any games, and then enforce it consistently.
The World Cup will go hand in hand with an upsurge in alcohol sales across the country. It is also important to remind staff of the organisation’s policy on absence and misuse of alcohol, making clear that it is unacceptable to take time off sick, either to watch matches or to recover from the aftermath of long evenings in the pub in front of a big screen. It is of course also unacceptable to turn up to work so hung over that you are incapable of doing any work. Employers should make clear there are disciplinary consequences for taking unauthorised time off without good reason or not performing or misbehaving at work.
Employees should be aware of their limits if they are planning to have a big night out and watch the football. If they know that they are likely to be extremely hung over the day after a big match and will find it hard to get to work, they should save some annual leave that they can use during the World Cup or see if they can negotiate unpaid leave