So begins a summer of sport! The Euros are upon us! Football fans will be over the moon, non-fans less than impressed with what seems like hundreds of matches on TV over the next few weeks.
And even if you aren’t a football fan there’s plenty more choice during the summer of sport. Maybe it’s the Olympics, Wimbledon or the Tour de France that will be distracting you – or your employees – from work…
Every summer, most managers have the difficulty of managing all their staff’s normal holiday requests. But this year, there are also more sporting events than normal! If you are pondering how to manage staff absences, increased holiday requests, lateness, employees ‘pulling a sickie’, or just wondering if you can show sport at the office, have a read of this blog for some practical advice.
NB: Some of the advice is specific to managing your teams during these big sporting events, but lots can be applied more generally to managing annual leave and staff absences during busy periods, such as school summer holidays.
Being Reasonable and Keeping it Fair
Ultimately, ‘walking the time-off-tightrope’ is all about being reasonable and as fair as you can be. That’s why guidance that sets out the same rules for everyone is important. Not having a proper system or chopping and changing the rules will alienate staff and ultimately decrease loyalty and productivity. Also make sure that home and hybrid workers have the same rules as office staff, as far as you can. Some office-based staff might be frustrated if they think that their home-working counterparts can have the game on in the background. If you are thinking of showing any games in the office, make sure to read the section on TV Licensing!
First come first served is the most common way to managing time off.
BUT … if the same person is booking the same (busy!) periods off every year, meaning other team members are unable to have that time off, this becomes unfair and will create resentment. This is most likely to happen at Christmas or New Year, over Easter or school holidays, or during major annual events. Find out who had the time off last year. This year it’s the other person’s turn!
Something that might happen is a member of staff saying they’ve already booked and paid for something before the time off was approved: then you might feel stuck, especially if the same day off has been requested by somebody else. Make it clear that bookings should not be made until the request for time off has been approved.
Compromise
If people in your company are all eager to watch the football or any of the other events during the summer of sport, why not let them leave early to watch it, with the time made up the following week? Great team bonding and some healthy rivalry maybe if they watch together at a local venue? And those who aren’t fussed can choose an early finish for something that is special to them or just stick to their typical hours.
Annual Leave Policy
This might seem simple, but it is key! Make sure you have policies or guidance on annual leave and that they are up to date. Good things to include are:
- Minimal staffing requirements
- How to request
- When to request
- How long any member of staff can have off in one stretch
Depending on your business, you could state that at busy times of the year no holiday requests are to be accepted. If you use a HRIS such as BreatheHR you can black out periods of time so that no leave can be requested. And, of course, it would be good to have guidance for big sporting occasions or other events which lots of your staff might want to enjoy, that way everyone is on the same page and it’s the same rules for all.
Dealing with Absences and ‘Sickies’
All of our advice so far has been given on the assumption that your staff are going to make requests before taking time off from work … but unfortunately some staff might just not show up or may frequently call in sick.
Over this summer it may be easier to spot some of the reasons for any increased absences. This is where our advice about being reasonable comes in. If lots of your staff are likely to be late because of an event the night before, why not allow a late start? This will increase productivity for you, limit unauthorised absences or lateness, and could hugely help improve employee satisfaction.
It’s really important to record any instances of unauthorised lateness or absences. Along with an absence policy that is enforced consistently and fairly.
TV Licensing
Thinking of having a game on in the office?
The rules for TV licensing are complex.
You may need to make sure you have a TV licence for your office, and be clear on the rules for staff using their own devices in the office, before streaming any of the sport this summer.
Generally speaking you need a TV licence if your staff, customers or visitors are watching events:
- Using company owned devices
- Using their own devices plugged into the office mains (yes we know…how would anyone know that?!)
- On their own devices not plugged into the mains and not covered by a TV licence at their home address
You only need one TV licence per office. If your business has more than one address, you may need multiple licences. Learn about the rules in more detail on the TV licensing website.
So, as our summer of sport begins, tell employees that you will always endeavour to reach a solution if they would like time off, be approachable and be reasonable!
At vivoHR we can support you to set up clear and fair guidance for your staff – we are here to help. Contact us on 01252 757359 or drop us an email at [email protected].