| Acas (the Advisory,
Conciliation and Arbitration Service) is
advising employers to be ready for the
World Cup. Some employees will be
expecting their employers to be flexible
about working hours so that they can watch
matches. Employers may also be worrying
about their employees being less
productive, hung over or sick following
over enthusiastic celebrations. The
World Cup kicks off in South Africa on 11
June 2010 and employers need to plan ahead
to try and keep everyone happy. As matches
are due to kick off at 12.30, 15.00 and
19.30 (UK time) employers will need to
plan ahead to ensure they have a clear and
consistent policy for those wanting to
watch matches.
Acas advice as detailed on their
website is that employers should try to
be:
- “Flexible, where possible - for
example, by altering start and finish
times during the working day or allowing
longer lunch breaks
- 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
- 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”.
For more advice visit the Acas
website. For details of when the matches
are being played visit the FIFA website
link below.
Internet links:
Acas article
FIFA website |
