So the hugely anticipated World Cup is almost upon us with proceedings ‘kicking off’ on 11th June 2010. It is at this time that employers need to be aware that effective management of staff is essential to prevent staff shortages and unauthorised absence during the competition.
It is common knowledge that ‘sickness’ absence increases immensely during the World Cup and not more so then when your home country is playing. Employers need to be prepared with up to date procedures for unauthorised absences, excessive staff sickness or world cup internet updates during the working day.
All employers should ensure that all employees are treated equally during this period and non-football aficionados are not ‘picking up the slack’ for their football mad colleagues.
It is not possible for all employees to take annual leave during this period and therefore employers are entitled to refuse holiday requests if too many employees wish to book the same period of leave. If non-football loving employees have booked annual leave during this time they should be protected from any intimidatory or unwanted conduct from employees that may have been refused time off.
If employees do wish to watch specific games during working hours they should be advised by their employer that annual leave will have to be taken otherwise absence will be viewed as unauthorised which may lead to disciplinary action.
It may be that the employer can implement a flexible working approach for employees to make up time they wish to miss when certain matches are on. This is a decision for the employer and for them to determine whether this is compatible with the needs of the business.
If employees cannot be away from work watching the matches in full they are going to want to keep abreast of the action via internet or mobile phone updates. It is therefore essential that the employer makes all of its employees aware of its IT/Communication Policy and draws their attention that unauthorised and excessive use of company internet for pleasure purposes is prohibited and disciplinary action may be taken against offending employees.
It is up to employees to be vigilant during this period and ensure that the needs of the business are being met. If an employer suspects that unauthorised absence is being taken or the internet is being abused they should refer to their disciplinary policy to address the situation.
