How to respond to Football Fever

The World Cup is creating a large amount of interest all over the world including here in the UK. With football fever well and truly upon us all, as we draw closer to the beginning of the tournament employers need to think about the impact it could have upon their business.

The UK has many dedicated football supporters made up from multi cultural backgrounds around the world and employers face a considerable amount of pressure as a result of the impact of the World Cup.

Employment Law Specialist Citation have found an increasing number of our clients are anxious about how best to prepare for any disruptions to their business that the world cup may cause over the forthcoming month.

There are a number of actions that businesses can consider in order to minimise disruption. Citation advise that clients communicate the businesses stance on some or all of the following to ensure that all employees are clear about the company’s expectations of them whilst working during the tournament:

Holiday: if employees wish to take holidays to watch matches, they must request annual leave in accordance with the company’s holiday policy, which should be granted in accordance with operational requirements.
Options to consider: unpaid leave, shift swaps, extended lunch breaks, flexible start and finish times or allow staff time off to watch the games but make up the time later. Careful thought should be given before employers allow changes to working patterns or unpaid leave as precedents may be set for the future.
Absenteeism: remind employees of the company’s stance on lateness, absenteeism, unauthorised absence and excessive sickness absence and that the Company will resort to the disciplinary process where levels are unacceptable.
TV equipment: consider providing television equipment for employees to watch in the workplace to prevent excessive absenteeism, bearing in mind current TV licence requirements and health, safety and welfare implications of people at the premises.
IT, Email and Internet: remind employees about the company’s IT and email policies and the stance on watching matches online, visiting online football communities websites and gambling online or in the workplace.
Drugs and Alcohol: remind employees of the company’s drug and alcohol policies and that employees must not attend work under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Discrimination: communicate that the Company will not tolerate racist, sexist or bullying banter or behaviour.

This release is for guidance only.

Citation’s compliance solutions in employment law provide SMEs with 24/7 advice and ongoing support to deal with situations like these and enabling employers to easily demonstrate they have followed the necessary procedures.

For more information about Citation and the services they provide, visit the Citation website at http://www.citation.co.uk/.

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