Managing employees through the world cup

The sun is shining, its officially summer, and we have the world cup nearly upon us.  Do you have plans in place for dealing with requests for time off, or ‘unexpected absenteeism’?

ACAS have just published their guidelines for employers, which sensibly centres around communication and flexibility.

I remember working in a large corporate business during the 1998 world cup tournament.  England matches played during the day were shown on a big screen in the board room and people could drop in and out or stay for the full match.  The atmosphere was great, and whilst I wouldn’t class myself as a football fan, I do quite like the world cup.

It’s not always possible to be flexible with working time to allow staff to watch matches, but here’s some ideas:

• Offer an early start/early finish on the relevant match day
• Allow the use of holiday, if possible
• Provide live commentary on a radio/over a tannoy system
• Bring a television to work, or show the matches on a big screen (projectors come into their own for this)
• Make the matches a social event by laying on food/nibbles etc.
• Get information up front regarding who especially wants to see a match, and who’s not particularly bothered; that way you might be able to swap some shifts/hours around to accommodate those who want to view the matches

There are some considerations to make though.  If you are showing the matches via television, you must remember to get a T.V. Licence for your business address.  If you are using radio for commentary, you may need a PRS Licence.

Dates for your diary for the first round England matches are; 

• Saturday 14th June at 23:00 GMT
• Thursday 19th June at 20:00 GMT
• Tuesday 24th June at 17:00 GMT

Further match dates/UK times can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/fixtures

Please bear in mind not all your staff will want to watch the England matches, but matches associated with their home country, so be aware of other primary dates and treat all staff the same.

With regard to ‘unexpected’ absenteeism, I am aware that some organisations have already taken the stance that if staff are off sick the day after match, they will need to produce a Dr’s certificate and failure to do so may result in disciplinary action. 

Personally, I think employers should avoid using disciplinary action as far as possible for world cup absenteeism, unless of course there is a blatant disregard of prior instruction.

My final note of caution is regarding alcohol.  If you allow your staff to drink alcohol whilst watching matches at work, you as the employer could hold some liability should anything untoward happen whilst your employee(s) was allowed to drink alcohol (such as aggressive behaviour or accidents etc.), and please remember; staff may have to drive home after work, therefore you should ensure your staff can get home safely if you have allowed them to drink alcohol on your premises.  In my mind, I don’t think it’s worth the risk!

Most of all, I think this is a time to relax, have fun, and enjoy the tournament for whatever it brings.