Kate Meadowcroft, partner at DWF in Manchester gives
her top tips for employers to make sure they keep their business on a level
playing field throughout the competition.

Love it or hate you can’t escape the World Cup. With
only weeks to go until kick-off, employers need to start addressing the issues
they are likely to face as World Cup fever takes hold. Key issues are likely to
be sickness absence, an influx of annual leave requests and potential
harassment.  The key to dealing with
issues quickly and effectively is careful planning and preparation.

Make sure the business has a
valid TV licence if you intend to allow employees to watch live coverage of the
football (either on a TV or via the internet)

Remind employees in advance
of the procedure to follow when booking annual leave – always deal with
requests fairly and consistently, whether on a first come first served basis or
otherwise

Make clear to employees that
instances of unauthorised absence will be dealt with as a serious disciplinary
issue and set out the possible consequences

Don’t presume just because
an employee is absent on a match day that they are not genuinely ill!

Be flexible – you may want
to allow staff to work flexibly on match days – consider screening matches at
work, for example in the staff canteen, rest areas or meeting rooms

If you are allowing
employees to work more flexibly, make sure you are clear and consistent in your
employee guidelines. You will need to remember that employees of all
nationalities may want to watch their national team play

Remind employees about your
rules in relation to alcohol consumption at work and the possible consequences
of any breach of the rules

Remind all staff that any
form of bullying or harassment is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, even
if no offence is intended. Make clear what is classed as unacceptable behaviour
in the workplace and don’t let the post-match banter or frustration get out of
hand    

Be prepared! Make sure you
are familiar with the match schedules so that you can anticipate problems and
be ready to deal with them.

Following these guidelines
will help to ensure that the World Cup season remains harmonious and fun for
everyone. For many businesses, this is a great opportunity to develop employee
relations and boost morale which could have a positive benefit for the company.

www.dwf.co.uk

11 May 2010