Nothing distracts the workforce like a major sporting event. Euro 2016 begins on Friday 10th June and lasts a whole month and with England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all involved, the desire to watch games at potentially inconvenient times will be high. The biggest flashpoint could well be Thursday 16th June, when England play Wales at 2pm.

How to work with your staff on the best solutions

The advisory and conciliatory service Acas has provided guidance on how employers should handle any issues that arise over the course of this or any other major event.

Flexibility is key. Having agreements in place in advance is best, but by working together employers and employees can understand eachothers’ needs and work on an outcome that suits both parties.

Annual leave

A company's annual leave policy should give guidance as to how to book time off. Employers may wish to look at being more flexible when allowing employees leave during this period, with the understanding that this will be a temporary arrangement.

All leave requests should be considered fairly, with a consistent approach to other major sporting events too. Remember that not everyone likes football!

Sickness absence

Organisations' sickness policies will still apply during this time, and these policies should be operated fairly and consistently for all staff. Unauthorised absences or patterns of behaviour (e.g. calling in sick the day after every England game) will need to be monitored and existing sickness policies should be implemented.

Flexibility

Flexible working hours could be one solution, with employees leaving early or late one day and making the time up another time. Shift swaps are another option. Allowing staff to listen to the radio or watch games on TV in the office, if possible, may be another option.

Use of social networking sites and websites

There may be an increase in the use of social networking sites or sporting websites covering Euro 2016. It would be wise to speak with employees around what is expected of them during this time period, with a web use policy particularly effective.

Drinking or being under the influence at work

Football tournaments and alcohol go hand in hand so make sure that employees are aware of what is expected of them if they are thinking of drinking while watching a game when they still have to go into work, for example when on a lunch break.

Acas can help with all manner of workplace related issues, including managing absence, sickness, communicating with staff, holidays and time off, alcohol policies and more. Take a look at Acas’ A-Z of online advice >

Access business support relevant to you

The business support section of the Buckinghamshire Business First website is full of all kinds of information useful to your business. If you have yet to take a look around the site, do so now as you never know what support you’ll find.