Author: Kate Dodsworth

Date: 07th June 2010

The World Cup is fast approaching and many of us, employees and employers alike, will be looking forward to it and planning how and when to watch those all-important matches. This leaves employers with the question of how the World Cup will affect their workforce and how catering for employees’ enthusiasm for the tournament can be balanced with the needs of the business.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle the World Cup presents to employers, is dealing with employees who ‘pull a sickie’ to watch a game. When England played Argentina during the 2002 World Cup, a reported 2.5 million workers called in sick. Before the tournament starts on 11th June, you are advised to remind your employees of your sickness policy, along with a reminder that calling in sick without being genuinely ill will result in disciplinary action. As a deterrent, you may wish to introduce ‘back to work’ interviews for all employees returning to work after sick leave, to discuss the reasons for their absence. You may find that faced with the possibility of having to account for their absence, employees are less inclined to call in sick without good reason.

Another issue to bear in mind is that watching football often goes hand in hand with increased alcohol consumption. Remind your employees of your policy regarding alcohol and at work and make it clear that attending work with a serious hangover or under the influence of alcohol will not be tolerated. If particular employees are likely to succumb to temptation and there is a real possibility of them being too hung over to work the day after a match, you could raise this with them beforehand and suggest that they book that day off as holiday well in advance.  

You should also consider reminding employees of your internet and email policy and, in particular, that many employers reserve the right to monitor internet use at work. Some employees may access minute-to-minute web updates or choose to watch the football via the internet, and you will need to decide whether or not to tolerate a certain amount of distraction. If you decide that using the internet in this way is not acceptable, you should inform your employees prior to 11th June and clarify that breach of this policy will result in disciplinary action.

However, although there is obviously no obligation for employers to alter their working practice during the World Cup, many of you may wish to do so, both to avoid dealing with an increase in unauthorised absence and as a way of boosting morale. You may wish to consider the following approaches:

Flexible Working

Starting the working day earlier than usual to let employees leave in good time to watch the match may be a workable option for many businesses. An alternative is to allow employees to make up the time on another day. If you choose to give employees the option to work flexibly, this should be applied consistently across the board. Do not assume that women are not interested in football and only inform men of the chance to rearrange their hours! Likewise, although the majority of your employees are likely to be most interested in the England games, make sure fans of other teams are given the same opportunities as England fans.

Shift Swaps

If your employees work shifts, why not give them the option of swapping shifts with their colleagues, so they get to watch the football and you as the employer ensure that your core business hours are covered? Many employees may welcome the chance to escape World Cup fever and will be happy to swap!


Dedicated Screenings

Some employers take the opportunity to show matches on their premises, which is likely to prove popular with many employees and is a great way of raising morale. However, caution should be taken, as some employees may not be interested in watching the game and may feel excluded, especially if they are expected to work their regular hours whilst their colleagues watch the game. As I have advised above, another issue to consider is that not all employees will necessarily follow England and you may face allegations of discrimination if you screen the England games but not those involving other countries supported by your workforce.

Overall, our advice is to enjoy the football and the team spirit the World Cup brings with it. After all, even if England manages to stay in past the group stages, most of the games are scheduled to take place in the evenings and therefore the knock on effect on most ‘9 to 5’ businesses may be minimal!

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice. You should not act or rely upon this information.

Kate Dodsworth
Solicitor, Employment Department

Tel: 01473 232425
Email: kate.dodsworth@ashtonkcj.co.uk