Football? Not My World Cup Of Tea

Every four years I brace myself for the world cup. It’s no secret that I am not a football fan. The sport itself is absolutely fine, and it would even be enjoyable if not spoiled by interminable analysis and commentary (on TV and off).

If those conversations could be reduced to about 15 minutes a day, I might be able to muster some interest. While the level of platitudes, uttered with the gravity of Plato (“it’s a game of two halves, John” etc) continues, you will find me mooching in the garden, reading, snoozing or gardening. Unfortunately, it seems that almost every male and a good proportion of females in the UK will be afflicted with world cup fever.

Over the weekend I saw three adverts, so it’s downhill now all the way until the ultimate joy or despair in July. If the England side does manage to reach the final of World Cup Final on July 11th, the squad will play a total of seven matches, each one televised live.

Don’t expect the usual rules of behaviour to prevail. We all know that many employees will throw a sickie to watch England games scheduled during the working day, or may be so hungover the day after an England game that they won’t come to work. So now would be a really good time for employer to develop their plans to manage attendance and productivity and give reasonable consideration o those who want to watch the games.

For the period of the world cup, employers could consider allowing flexible working hours. Time many companies set up screening rooms, allowing employees to watch matches from the office. We have provided a free policy to help employers manage their employees during the world cup (and for other sporting events).

Email us if you’d like a copy or if you’d like help with any absence and attendance queries, at: pm@russellhrconsulting.co.uk

Russell HR Consulting provides expert knowledge in HR solutions, employment law training and HR tools and resources to businesses across the UK.

Subscribe to our free monthly HR newsletter. Russell HR Consulting employment law newsletters are emailed automatically to our ever-growing number of subscribers every month.