‘Give nation the afternoon off to watch the Euros’
EMPLOYERS should consider allowing staff time off to watch the football during next month’s Euro 2016 championships, the head of the workplace conciliation service Acas has suggested.
Sir Brendan Barber advised employers to introduce flexible hours on big match days, such as that of the groupstage England-Wales encounter, which kicks off just after lunch.
Another option would be to allow workers to watch games on television or online from their desks.
Agreeing arrangements beforehand will help stave off disputes, he said, as well as enabling bosses to make sure they do not run short of staff during the tournament beginning on June 10.
Flexibility with annual leave, shift swapping and allowing staff to make up time before or after football matches should all be considered, he recommended.
Fixtures that could cause tension between staff and their bosses include the England and Wales Group B clash at 2pm on Thursday June 16.
Northern Ireland will play two 5pm weekday matches in Group C, while one weekday fixture involving the Republic of Ireland also has a 5pm start.
Only one of the last 16-stage matches will take place during weekday office hours, while all matches in the quarter-finals and onwards start at 8pm. This is also the first year Wales and Northern Ireland have qualified for the championships, potentially generating huge interest in workplaces across the two countries. “The Euro 2016 tournament is an exciting event for many football fans, but staff should avoid getting a red card for unreasonable demands or behaviour in the workplace during this period,” said Sir Brendan. Acas also expects an upsurge of social media activity as fans go online to discuss the tournament. The conciliation body advised firms to make clear their attitude towards social media before the championships get going. Before the 2014 World Cup, a YouGov poll suggested one in four men between the ages of 25 and 34 planned to take unauthorised absence from work. Separately, a survey showed that 73 per cent of French voters fear a terrorist attack during the month-long tournament. Last week, German intelligence chiefs said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant had the championships “in its sights”. At the same time, concern has grown over alleged police brutality, as footage emerged of an officer throwing a tear-gas grenade into a crowd that seriously injured a 28-year-old freelance journalist in a demonstration in Paris last week. He remained in a coma yesterday and an investigation is under way. Police said officers were coming under sustained attack during street protests.