Robyn McIlroy, an employment law specialist with Pinsent Masons,
the firm behind OUT-LAW.COM, offers five recommendations:
1. Holiday bookings
Remind employees of your holiday request procedure, as soon as
possible. Point out that requests will be dealt with on a
first-come, first-served basis. Remind them that approval will
depend on resourcing needs. Bear in mind that, while employees do
have statutory and often contractual rights to paid leave,
employers and employees can agree when and how leave is to be
taken.
2. Flexitime
You could consider introducing a policy of flexible working, as
Rover and Prudential did during the last World Cup. This allows
employees (with permission) to leave work early enough to watch
matches – kick-offs range from 2pm and 8pm – and to come in later
the next day if they anticipate cause for celebration into the
night. Think about how this is going to be monitored, however. Be
consistent in your application of flexi-working.
3. Drink problems
Attendance at work while still under the influence of alcohol is
never permissible. It is a disciplinary offence and it would do no
harm to remind employees of that.
4. Managing sickies
Many organisations are concerned about high levels of sickness
absence. Some companies have said they will remind employees that
levels of attendance will be monitored throughout the tournament.
The difficulty with this is that there may be genuine sickness
absences in this period. Employers must be careful to avoid making
gender-based assumptions about the credibility or otherwise of the
reason for absence. Such mistakes could be costly.
5. Be realistic
Accept that a slight dip in productivity during Germany 2006 may
be inevitable. But a big telly could be the solution.
Consider screening the most popular matches, such as England v
Trinidad and Tobago on 15th June. This match begins at 5pm – which
mitigates the risk of an exodus at 4.30pm or earlier. It could also
improve employee relations, boosting morale in your workforce. With
luck, your generous spirit will be rewarded by higher productivity
and staff retention levels after the tournament.
Contact: robyn.mcilroy@pinsentmasons.com
