Keeping track of England’s latest quest to win a trophy that has eluded them for 48 years could earn staffers a sending off from their jobs if taken to extremes, according to a new survey by HR-solutions firm Croner.
Its recent poll of 118 employers showed that, while 20% of companies were prepared to make suitable arrangements for staff to view World Cup games in the office, half said they would be forced to discipline employees who are found to have taken unauthorised leave for the same purposes. A 40% segment said they were currently unsure of whether they would take action – hinting that they were at least considering it. Meanwhile, more than half (54%) said they had no special preparations in place as yet for office viewings.
In a separate survey of 2,280 UK employees, YouGov – in association with Croner – found that one in four men aged between 25 and 34 are considering taking unauthorised absence from work during the Brazil tournament. Some 13% of all British workers say they would be tempted to call in sick if England play and they are unable to watch the game at work, but this figure surges to 18% among working men of all ages.
Richard Smith – employment-law expert at Croner parent company Wolters Kluwer – said: “Absence management always features high on employers’ lists of concerns around major spectator events such as Wimbledon, the Olympics and the imminent World Cup. We’re quite surprised by such a high proportion of workers in our survey admit they plan to feign illness so they can enjoy a major sporting event – but we are advising our clients on how they can actually turn this to their advantage.”
He explained: “rather than worry about employees being struck down with ‘World Cup-itis’ on match days, they should be thinking of how temporarily relaxing the rules can have positive returns for their business. They should look at how they can allow staff to watch relevant matches – whether it’s to work flexibly or on a company-provided TV. In addition, annual leave policies should be updated with clear guidelines issued to all employees, emphasising that unauthorised absence could lead to disciplinary action.”
Interestingly, a mere 6% of the workers polled have formally booked leave from work during the event, although a further 7% said they planned to do just that. Those employees were more likely to be males aged between 35 and 44, suggesting that age brings a measure of responsibility. Meanwhile, up to 60% of bosses agree that allowing staff to work flexibly during a major sporting event is important, and ultimately boosts productivity and morale.
Smith argued that bosses must think very carefully about the potential knock-on effects for company performance in the second half of 2014, before they sign off on annual-leave requests during the World Cup. “Even employers who decide to let employees see the games on TV should be prepared for a bout of annual leave requests and be ready to deal with them,” he said. “In most cases it’s impractical for a business to allow a large proportion of the workforce to take annual leave at one time, so employers may refuse annual leave requests on the grounds of the business’s needs. It’s therefore essential to have a fair system in place for granting annual leave, such as random selection, or a first-come-first-served basis.
Smith added: “Even though it’s likely that younger males will be first in line for holiday at this time, employers must ensure it is granted fairly, otherwise they could be guilty of sex discrimination. It’s worth remembering that the workforce is now more diverse than ever, and that other nationalities are likely to want to watch their own teams. Be sure not to discriminate against these groups.”