Employers Warned To Proactively Manage World Cup ‘Fever’

Howes Percival LLP is warning the region’s employers to be prepared to manage the inevitable rise in employee absence as the nation succumbs to World Cup ‘fever’.  This warning follows new research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development which revealed that 90 per cent of employers have no plans in place to help manage staff absence during the World Cup*.  

Tom Sharpe, Howes Percival LLP’s employment law expert explained, “The scheduling of matches in this year’s World Cup will present a specific problem for a lot of employers.  There are 21 days in total during the tournament where matches are scheduled for 12.30pm or 3pm so employers need to communicate clearly with their workers how they intend to manage the situation and what their policy will be on absenteeism, leave and flexible working. 

“There are a number of different approaches employers can take to help their staff enjoy the World Cup, which will also help maintain business as usual.  These include unpaid leave and introducing flexible working hours or shift swaps for the duration of the tournament.”         

Unpaid or annual leave allows employees to take time off work to watch matches and employers may wish to consider requests for short periods of annual leave.  Employers should ensure that employees are informed, in advance, how requests will be considered (for example on a first come first served basis).

A temporary flexible hours system allows employees to alter their hours to accommodate match times, for example by taking an extended lunch break, starting work later or leaving early – provided that core business hours are covered and employees are aware that they need to make up the time another day.

For businesses operating a shift system, introducing a shift swap scheme enables employees to arrange their shifts around the matches they are interested in, provided appropriate levels of cover can be maintained and subject to the Working Time Regulations.  ASDA has reportedly introduced such a system for its workforce.

Some employers may see the World Cup as an opportunity for team building and will want to screen matches on site.  However, it is important to remember that employees who are not football fans, and are left to staff the office, may be unhappy about such an arrangement.  Also, in a diverse workforce not everyone will be interested in just England's matches so requests may be made to screen other matches.

Tom concluded, “Employers who adopt a policy on their approach to major sporting events like this year’s World Cup, may find that they suffer less unauthorised absence than those that don’t. 

“Putting in place a clear policy on what is and what is not acceptable behaviour and communicating this to all staff, as early as possible, is key in maintaining good employee relations while managing the needs of the business.  It is also advisable to remind employees that turning up to work drunk or so hung over they are incapable of carrying out their duties will be considered a disciplinary offence and that levels of sickness absence will be closely monitored for the duration of the World Cup.

- ends-

For further information please contact:
Gordon or Liz at MAW Communications (www.mawcomms.co.uk) on 01603 505 845

Notes to editors:

*Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development survey of 1,000 employers conducted April 2010.

Howes Percival has offices in Leicester, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Norwich.  It has 29 Partners and 160 fee earners.