A long suffering Sunderland supporter, Chief Executive John Taylor, said: "This is so serious a debate that we have produced a fact sheet with frequently asked questions on our website at www.acas.org.uk giving advice to employers and employees about their working practices and rights during the World Cup. The topics covered include
what can be done if an employee has a history of taking 'sickies' whenever there is an important game and what to do if employees want to watch the match in the pub during their break but there is a 'no alcohol' policy at work.
"All fun aside, these can be very tricky issues to tackle. We want to avoid trouble, reward good behaviour and allow businesses and their staff to have a more enjoyable time during the tournament as well.
"Overall the message to employers is be flexible but firm. Treat absences and breaches of procedures as you normally would - fairly. Investigate circumstances before imposing any disciplinary sanctions and try not to act differently simply because it's World Cup fever. Remember, there's also Wimbledon, Test matches, the Rugby World Cup, Euro 2008, and the Olympics."
The fact sheet and additional information on the issue of absences can be found at www.acas.org.uk or for more detailed information or advice, the Acas Helpline can be contacted during office hours on 08457 474747.
Acas' top tips to North East businesses to avoid a red card!
- Be flexible wherever possible to avoid discriminatory practices
- If possible, provide a 'rest area' with a television screen so that individuals can use their breaks to watch the match
- Be aware that we live in a diverse and multinational society with a range of national games that people want to watch
- Ensure that staff are aware of any restrictive policies already in place, such as absence, Internet and drugs and alcohol use.
World Cup 2006 FAQs - Guidance for employers and employees
My boss has said that staff can leave early when England play, so they can get home or to the pub in time to watch the match. What about me - my national team is Ghana?
Where employers are able to be flexible over working hours during the World Cup, they also need to ensure that this does not discriminate against other employees. You should make your concerns known to your employer as he or she may have overlooked the fact that our increasingly diverse workforces mean that there is a wide range of national games which people want to be able to watch.
I am the only woman working in a despatch department. My male colleagues have been allowed to take longer lunch breaks or leave early to watch the football. There is an assumption that because I am a woman I am not interested in football and would cover their work. I am just as keen to follow the football and feel this is sex
discrimination.
You may be right that this constitutes sex discrimination if you feel that you are being treated less favourably than a man would be. This highlights the importance for employers to ensure that any flexibility over working hours is made available to both male and female staff, without making assumptions about who may or may not be
interested in football.
One of my employees phoned in sick the day after the semi final in which their national team was playing? Must I pay him?
Whether your employee is entitled to be paid depends on the terms of their contract. Where there is no contractual right to sick pay then Statutory Sick Pay may be due, subject to the usual qualifying conditions. If absence is for one day only, this may mean no SSP is due.
A head office sales representative had a recognisable pattern of sick absence during the Euro 2004 tournament. Can I sack him if he is similarly absent during the World Cup?
This will largely depend on how you deal with absence generally. It could be difficult to prove that absences were not for genuine illness, unless, of course, you have strong evidence to the contrary. You may want to remind staff that taking time off when not genuinely ill is a disciplinary matter and will be dealt with as such.
Holding 'return to work' interviews is an effective way of reducing short term absenteeism and should be part of your absence control procedure.
Building in some extra flexibility during the month of the World Cup, around start or finish times, and allowing staff to make up that time could make employees less inclined to take a 'sickie' in order to see that all-important match or to recover from celebrations.
A couple of my labourers want to watch the football at a nearby pub on their break. They would not normally go to the pub at lunch times as we have a strict 'no alcohol' policy. Can I stop them going to the pub?
Unless you have specific provisions in the contract restricting what employees can do during their break times, it is unlikely that you will be able to prevent them going to the pub to watch the football. However, you should remind staff of the strict 'no alcohol' policy and that a breach of this policy will be treated as a disciplinary matter which could lead to dismissal.
Have you considered providing access to a TV screen in the rest area, which will enable employees to watch the football without having to go to the nearest pub to do so?
I am the line manager of four staff. One of them has been boasting to his colleagues about downloading software on to his PC so he can watch World Cup matches at his desk. Now my manager wants to know what I'm going to do about it.
Hopefully your company will have either a separate policy on Internet use, or it is mentioned as part of your disciplinary rules and procedures. If so, downloading software on to a works PC in order to watch live football matches would likely constitute a breach of the existing procedure.
A memo could be sent to all staff reminding them of the Internet policy and how breaches of it will be dealt with. If no specific procedure exists to remind your employees about, you need to make them aware that it will be a disciplinary offence to use the Internet in this way for non-work related activity.
Once again, it is worth considering providing access to a TV so that employees are not tempted to resort to these methods.
