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A. On 14 June 2024, the UEFA Euro 2024 competition kicks off a month of football will make an impact, in one way or another, on workplaces throughout the UK, especially as both England and Scotland will be playing. And that’s not it. There are various other sporting events with teams and individuals from throughout the UK competing at some point or another over the coming summer months, all of which have the potential to entertain, and distract, employees.
When it comes to holiday requests, your client needs to balance the needs of the business against the wishes of employees. Your client can refuse holiday requests and decide when leave can or cannot be taken. This doesn’t change just because there is a major sporting event going on. However, care will be needed to ensure that decisions on holiday are made fairly and without bias towards nationality.
A flat refusal is unlikely to be received well, and it’s important to remember the wellbeing aspects of taking annual leave that are particularly relevant during summer. Acting in a way that is fair and reasonable will therefore be essential to avoid issues.
Some employees might want to watch or listen to events during the working day, and your client will need to manage this carefully. If allowing it, it shouldn’t just be limited to the home nations as that would be unfair and potentially discriminatory.
The decision for who does get to watch should also be made fairly. It may be possible to show events during work and allow staff to time their breaks around certain events, or allow them to adjust their start / finish times around events they want to watch, so that they are in a position to work as soon as it is finished. Whatever decision is made, your client should ensure they have the proper license in place to have a television or radio on in the workplace.
During major sporting events, unexpected absences can occur. It’s advisable to inform staff that attendance levels will be monitored throughout the summer and especially when a big event happens, to deter those thinking of pulling a ‘sickie’. Employees should be aware that any unauthorised absences will be classed as a form of misconduct, resulting in disciplinary procedures if this occurs.
On a final note, the government has decided that in England and Wales, should either Scotland or England get through to the semi-finals, premises already licensed until 11pm for the sale of alcohol for consumption on site can remain open for an extra two hours on those nights either team are playing. Note, this doesn’t apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Closing later could create issues with staffing. Asking staff to work it is best, but if that does not yield enough cover, it may be necessary to rely on an applicable contractual clause. However, it must be reasonable to do so.
It could also have a knock-on effect for opening the next day, as employees must have 11 hours daily rest under the working time regulation, meaning an employee working until 1am wouldn’t be able to start work until 12pm.
Finally, it’s important not to forget to embrace the fun at work. Having a dedicated fun day with prizes or even assigning different sports or countries to each team/department and letting them decorate their area appropriately could be a good way to keep morale high in the workplace.
