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Acas Guidance on Reducing World Cup Absenteeism
The World Cup is fast approaching and some of your employees may be starting to make plans to watch their favourite team play.
Most organisations now have a diverse workforce and with staff from all sorts of backgrounds employers need to think now about time-off arrangements that are fair for everyone.
Acas has issued practical advice to help guide employers which can be accessed online at www.acas.org.uk/worldcup To assist, we set out most of the guidence below.
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'Over the moon', 'a game of two halves'. There are many football clichés - but when it comes to balancing work and sporting interests one of them holds more than a grain of truth: 'it's a team game'.
Big sporting occasions, like the World Cup, can divide as well as unite workplaces. Employees may assume that rules can be bent to accommodate viewing the televised matches. Employers may be worried about less productive employees and over exuberant celebrations.
Football reflects the multicultural society we live in and our varied communities will be following different teams during the World Cup this summer.
Make sure you strike a balance between the needs of those who want to watch football - whatever team they are supporting - and those that don't.
As the World Cup kicks off in South Africa on 11 June 2010, the Acas message to workplaces up and down the country is simple: use teamwork to get the best out of each other and, where possible, find compromises that will keep everyone happy.
Plan ahead!
With matches starting at 12.30, 15.00 and 19.30 (UK time) you should plan how you will respond to pressure from employees eager to support their favourite team.
Acas advice is that you should try to be:
* Flexible, where possible - for example, by altering start and finish times during the working day or allowing longer lunch break. Remember to balance the needs of your whole workforce including those who don't have an interest in the World Cup.
* Clear about what you expect from employees - in terms of attendance and performance during the World Cup. Managing employees expectations of what might be possible is key to keeping them onside
* Communicative - start talking to each other now about the World Cup and how you hope to manage leave and working hours
* Open and honest - if you cannot accommodate any changes to your work practices then say so. Also, you may need to remind employees that any special arrangements for watching matches are only temporary
* Fair - you need to be seen to be fair about the way you respond to requests for time off and avoid favouritism - don't forget to ensure those people who aren't interested in football aren't in some way treated differently as a consequence, such as those with caring responsibilities, for example.
How can Acas help?
As an employer, you need to make the right decisions for your business. Being flexible will help to motivate and engage your employees but you still need to keep your customers happy.
Once you've talked to your employees, check your policies and procedures are up-to-date and remind staff how they work in practice.
Acas guidance will help you to write and review your policies for:
* Flexible working and work-life balance - Do you know how the different systems for flexible working operate?
* Managing attendance - do you conduct regular return to work discussions with employees? They may deter employees from taking unwarranted sickness absence
* Holidays and time off - is your policy clear about how much notice is required for annual leave and when employees cannot take leave?
* Discipline - do employees understand that sudden absences during matches may be treated with disciplinary action?
* Health, work and wellbeing - employees tend to feel happier and healthier if they know what's going on at work and why. Have you talked to them yet?
* Communication and consultation - what's the best way to talk to each other – team meetings, intranet sites, emails or a mixture of all three?
* Internet and email - there may be an increase in the use of social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, or an increase in website usage such as sports news websites or official World Cup pages on the internet
* Drinking policy - you may have a strict 'no drinking policy' at work but how do you manage employees who come to work hung-over?
Employee questions
I would like to have time off so I can watch some of the matches, but my employer has said that it's not possible because too many people are off already. Can my employer refuse my holiday request?
My boss has said 'no' to all leave on match days. What will happen if I just take a sick day?
Employer questions
I expect to have a high level of request for early finishes/holidays - what do I do?
I believe one employee is taking sickness absence to watch the matches. This has happened on a few occasions which coincide with match times. How should I deal with this? |
Need further assistance?
Just contact Berkeley Solicitors. Adrian Berkeley is available on 0161-371 0011. |
Remember - WE'RE ON YOUR SIDE!
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