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The FIFA Men's Football World Cup is fast approaching and kicks off (no pun intended) on 20 November with 32 nations taking part. Many many football fans are at the edge of their seats to find out who will win
Football is the largest watched sport in the UK and it is likely you have at least a few fans of the game wanting to watch matches, some of which may take place during working hours
This may then present some challenges when it comes to managing your employees especially if you do not have a Sporting Events policy to refer to.
Below are some tips that may help:
Make the tournament enjoyable:
Consider embracing the tournament at work, using it as a way of developing a greater sense of morale and camaraderie. Attendance at work can be encouraged by holding themed events, such as fancy dress, food, or lunch-time games, and live notification of results.
Remind your employees to respect other people’s cultures and beliefs as they normally would. If you make some allowances for the event, make sure this is consistent. For example if you are allowing employees to finish work early to watch a match, encourage all employees to stay and watch but if they really do not want to, allow them to leave early. Don't make them stay and work when others have finished. Try to make events as enjoyable and as inclusive as possible and use it as an employee engagement tool.
What options are available to employees if they want to watch matches?
Consider embracing the tournament at work, using it as a way of developing a greater sense of morale and camaraderie. Attendance at work can be encouraged by holding themed events, such as fancy dress, food, or lunch-time games, and live notification of results.
If you are able to show events during work, allow employees to take their breaks so they can watch specific matches, or you could allow employees to work at different times in order to see their favourite team. This is an option I have seen work well over the years.
Remember not all employees will want to watch matches and may want to take annual leave for different reasons, so processes over the duration of the tournament must be applied fairly.
How to Manage Absence?
For employees wanting time off, remind them of how much notice they need to provide and how requests will be managed to ensure it is fair for everyone. You may want to consider limiting the number of days off each employee can take to watch matches to ensure the business can still operate but that everyone that wants to, can take time off.
You should have an absence management policy already in place so any unauthorised absence (due to overindulging when watching a match or celebrating a win, or calling in sick to watch a match) should be dealt with in the normal way. Your absence policy should detail how your employees should report an absence and it should also have a trigger to highlight excessive time off.
How to manage employee behaviour?
The vast majority of your employees will get into the spirit of the world cup with no issues but there may be times when passion runs a bit high resulting in poor behaviour. Football can bring out lots of passion but this needs to be demonstrated respectfully. The office should always be a safe and welcoming environment for all.
Be clear on your alcohol policy especially if you have employees returning to work after lunch when they have been watching a match.
Make sure your employees are aware of your expectations and that they are responsible for their behaviour. Offensive language should never be being used or tolerated. Outline the possible consequences if poor behaviour is reported .
To avoid the potential for discrimination or harassment, remind your employees that the office should remain free from banter that could qualify as harassment or discrimination,
If you need any support please book in a free no obligation meeting