Member Article

Olympic Gold

As some of you may be aware The Tipster likes to plod the streets now and again. In his mind, he is training for the Olympic 1500 metres final where he will storm down the back straight in fine fettle to pick up Olympic gold. The reality is that wearing Dunlop Green Flash/faded rugby shorts and a Fun Run t-shirt circa 1980s is not quite the look of an Olympic champion.

However, the chance for Olympic glory came about when sales for the Olympic tickets opened last year. Children are easily pleased at an early age and Daddy Olympics quickly got into action and made all the correct applications to ensure that the Tipster family would be sitting pretty for the Olympic 100 metres final.

Daddy Olympics quickly turned to Daddy Durr Brain when the allocation did not include the grand finale set of tickets but rather a couple of tickets for the football (of which there are still 1.5 million available) and the first round of the hockey. Now for all you hockey aficionados out there clearly this is a great coup but compared to one person who the Tipster works with (who will remain nameless but who has tickets for the men’s 5000 metres final and women’s 100 metres final - yes you know who you are and yes we know where you live) this was a bit of a shock.

The Olympics obviously will be a fantastic event but what should employers be doing to plan for the forthcoming festivities?

First of all (and I know it may sound dull) it is imperative that a policy is in place just outlining one or two points so that parameters can be set. Issues outlined below should be included:-

• Can I have time off to watch the event that I have been looking forward to for four years? - There is no legal requirement for employers to allow people to have time off for particular events. If they want to have that time off then they should have booked holiday in advance. If they do try and abuse the situation then in extreme situations disciplinary action could be taken if they are, how shall we say, economical with the truth regarding their absence.
• Can I volunteer to help at the 2012 Olympics? - Employers with employees should consider a number of options depending on the business needs of the organisation including allowing employees to make up the time lost due to volunteering; allowing employees to work flexibly during the period of the games; granting them special leave (paid or unpaid) or, of course, getting them to use annual leave.

Ideally a policy regarding volunteering for the Olympic Games should include the requirement that the employee tells the employer at the earliest opportunity that they have applied to be a volunteer; an explanation of how they will deal with requests for time off to attend selection events or training sessions; details of submission dates for requests for time off; guidance on the proposed use of annual leave; special leave; and details of how the employer will deal with unauthorised absence.

Clearly, this will be a great occasion for the nation to watch some top sports people in operation. However, as is the spirit of the games, mutual respect of the needs of others should always be taken into consideration.

Now if you see the Tipster in those Dunlop Green Flash make sure you give him an encouraging wave. The gold medal beckons.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Gibson .