Member Article

Employers must prepare for Olympics, expert warns

Employers must be prepared for a rush of holiday requests ahead of the Olympics, or prepare to face a summer of chaos.

100 days before the London 2012 Olympic Games start, bosses should already be making provisions for flexible working and any suspicious absenteeism.

Peter Mooney, head of employment law at business support specialist, ELAS, said: “Once they have dealt with those staff who want time off during the Games, employers need to make sure the rest of their teams are productive while at work.

“For some, that will mean allowing staff to work flexibly during the Games themselves, while others will want to make provisions for workers to watch events in break rooms or at their desks over the internet.

“Others, meanwhile, will just want to ensure it’s business as usual during working hours so will want to remind staff about their approach to absenteeism and be prepared to discipline anybody found to have ‘thrown a sickie’ in order to watch or go to any of the events.”

Mooney now recommends that employers decide leave on a first come first served basis to ensure fairness, whilst also reminding staff about company policy towards absenteeism. Businesses should consider implementing flexible working hours, but also keep an eye on productivity.

Mooney added: “In every situation their only priority should be to be fair to everyone. Bosses need to set their stall out now, then stick to it – rigidly, if needs be.

“So long as managers are being fair, they should be able to reap the benefits of having a motivated, enthusiastic workforce.

“But if they do face challenges, with staff watching sports when they should be working or ringing in sick to go to events, they mustn’t be afraid to act. The only way to do that is to be well prepared, and that means acting now.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .