The football world cup kicks off in Brazil next week. There is a good chance that in every workplace there will be some football fanatics who will want to watch the games.
During the domestic football season most matches take place at times when the majority of people are not in work. As Brazil is 4 hours behind the UK, many of the matches will take place in the evening which may minimise impact during the working day. However, it is highly likely that some of the matches will overlap with the working hours of football fans. So, what should an employer do to ensure that productivity does not diminish at those times?
It may be worth considering introducing some flexibility to help build good employee relations. For instance there may be certain matches of particular importance to some employees or that may be crucial to a team’s progress and are of particular interest to football fans. Employers may wish to consider allowing employees to start a little earlier or take a shorter lunch break to allow them to leave work on time to be home for a 5pm kick off. You may even consider allowing employees to watch a match or part of a match on a TV in work if you are feeling particularly generous.
By far the biggest potential impact of the World Cup in the workplace is in employees’ use of the internet and social media during matches. With all matches streamed live on the BBC or ITV websites, the temptation will be there for any football fan with access to a computer, tablet or smart phone to watch the match when they should be working. If you suspect that this may be an issue, it would be worth reminding employees of your social media policy and use of the internet policy. Any breaches of the policy may lead to disciplinary action and employees should be made aware of that.
Finally, it may be worth reiterating the organisation’s equal opportunities and ant-harassment policies. Football fans can become quite vocal during games and pass comment in the course of matches. Any comments or other behaviour that is likely to cause offence – such as comments relating to people of particular nationalities or ethnic groups – must not be tolerated and employees should be reminded of the consequences of breaching these important policies. It would also be worth reminding employees that work-related social events, such as colleagues going out after work to watch a football match together, are deemed to be extensions of the workplace and the equal opportunities and ant-harassment procedures still apply even though the colleagues are not in the workplace.
If an employer is able to be flexible and reminds employees of the applicable policies and the behaviour expected in the workplace, there is no reason why the World Cup cannot be a positive experience that helps to build employee engagement.
Collective Questions is intended as a guide and for general information only and is not a substitute for taking specific advice relating to your situation. For specific advice regarding this or any other issue relating to employing people, please do not hesitate to contact us.
