Business Aid
Sue Deane of local solicitors Dean Wilson LLP gives invaluable advice to the city’s thousands of small companies and employees This week: The World Cup
Q: I am the manager of a call centre with over 200 employees. Many of my employees are avid football fans and are looking forward to the World Cup. I have experienced problems with attendance during previous major sporting events and am keen to avoid a recurrence. What is the best way of dealing with this?
Sue Deane is an Employment Executive and deals with all aspects of employment law and employee relations. Sue regularly represents the firm at conferences and seminars in order to keep ahead in this rapidly expanding area of law. She has been a Magistrate for 20 years.
Q: What should we include in a policy on time off to watch matches?
A: The company needs to decide how it will deal with requests for time off to watch key football matches. Employees have no right to extra time off to watch sporting or other special events. However, if you are able to accommodate employees’ requests for time off you may find that you will suffer less unscheduled absence. Because of the nature of your business you will also need to make it clear how leave will be allocated – either on a first come, first served basis or on a rota. You should also specify a deadline for leave requests.
Q: Should I consider implementing a temporary period of flexible working to allow employees to work around particular matches?
A: There is no reason why you should not do this if you can devise a suitable shift pattern, but you will need to bear in mind that it should be fair to all employees, not just those who are interested in watching the World Cup.
Q: I need to keep absenteeism to the absolute minimum. Would it be a good idea to screen England matches in the staff rest room?
A: If the company decides to grant time off or allow employees to watch World Cup matches at work during working time, you need to grant requests from all employees irrespective of their nationalities so that they can follow their national team. You could be exposing the company to potential claims of unfair and/or discriminatory treatment if you grant time off and provide viewing facilities for England matches only.
Q: One of my supervisors is noticing that some employees are already spending time talking to colleagues about the tournament. How should I deal with this?
A: If an employee’s conversations are impacting on performance you need to address the matter. The supervisor should have an informal conversation with the employees in question to inform them that he has noticed that they are not working to the required level. They need to be reminded that their conversations should not take precedence over the requirements of their role. If the situation continues it may be necessary to consider instigating the disciplinary policy.
