It has been reported that almost 18 million Britons watched Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle on Saturday 19th May at St George’s Chapel. Businesses may have had to prepare themselves for staff members ‘pulling a sickie’ so they can watch the wedding. However, are you prepared for your employees to ‘pull a sickie’ during the 2018 FIFA World Cup?
The global football tournament is scheduled to take place from 14th June till 15th July in Russia. The football games will all be shown on different times and days during the tournament, meaning a lot of employees will be at work when the matches are televised. For some avid football fans, this means they are missing out on the action and might be tempted to not come to work when certain games are on.
So how can employers manage this? Flexi-time could be an option employers can consider to offer to their employees. Flexi-time involves an employee working additional hours and being able to take the time off in lieu. This would be a more sensible way for employees to gain extra time off to catch a match.
Employees using flexi-time should give a reasonable notice beforehand so employers can plan ahead. This could be an opportunity to offer extra hours to staff members hoping to earn extra time off work at a later date.
The Marketing Week Career and Salary Survey 2018 asked 4,154 marketers across 24 different industries their thoughts on flexible working in the workplace. It is reported only 42.6% are given the option of flexible working practices.
Another option is to allow employees to work from home, depending on if this is suitable for the nature of your business. Working from home is beneficial to employers and employees as it offers flexibility for the employees, yet means that the work will not stop. For some employees they are able to perform their role at home as if they were in the office on a normal working day.
Going beyond a flexible approach is a different way to combine the tournament with work. Employers could implement a rewards and recognition system, whereby outstanding performance could result in time being put aside for employees to be able to watch the World Cup.
Employers should always be looking to reward employees as it improves mood and performance in the workplace, meaning employees may be less likely to skip work. Employers should always ensure they apply a reward and recognition system consistently so everyone feels involved.
The World Cup may also be a good way to create some team building exercises and involving different departments to communicate with each other. Organising match viewings, with minimum disruption and maximum reward, will benefit the business. If it’s not feasible to show any games, it’s worth finding ways to make your business a great place to work, so employees are less likely to not show up.
Its important employers take into consideration all of their employee’s nationalities when choosing which football games can be watched. Not everyone supports England and they may want to watch other matches.
If you need any support or guidance in promoting flexible working or managing employee absence and leave, please contact a member of the HPC team:
T: 0844 800 5932
E: help@highpeformanceconsultancy.com
Twitter: @HPC_HRservices