Health & Safety Update (June 2010)
Are you ready for the world cup?
According to research released this week by Manchester-based
food firm Kellogg's, 7.4 million UK workers – over 15% of the
working population – are planning to watch every match.
However, only one in ten workers say they will actually be allowed
by their employer to take time off for it. This has sparked
fears that absenteeism could reach record levels. The TUC has urged
bosses not to 'score an own goal' during the World Cup and
to allow staff who wish to watch televised games to do so,
either away from work or, if appropriate, somewhere on the
company's premises.
According to the Kellogg's research, a fifth of workers are
considering taking time off to watch the football or recover from
the night before, but only one in 20 workers said they were
happy to use their own holidays to do so.
Rather than showing staff the red card for throwing 'sickies' in
order to watch the football from South Africa, the TUC believes
that this is a perfect opportunity for employers to introduce
working flexible hours.
The TUC believes that flexible working has real benefits for
businesses and also for their workforces, and is calling on those
employers yet to embrace greater flexibility to use the World Cup
as an opportunity to try it out.
The World Cup, taking place between Friday 11 June and Sunday 11
July, has televised games kicking off at various times, with some
matches starting at 12.30pm UK time.
According to the World Cup schedule, published by FIFA, England
has one game scheduled to kick off during the day, the final group
stage match against Slovenia, which kicks off at 3pm on Wednesday
23 June. Should England progress to the knockout stages of the
World Cup they are not scheduled to play any further matches before
7.30pm Monday to Friday.
Employers should also bear in mind that one in five UK employees
work outside core-hours, many of whom will also want to watch the
World Cup, as well as UK-based workers of different nationalities
who want to watch their home team.
TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, said, "Of course some
people won't want to watch the World Cup, but for those who do, the
best way to ease tensions is for employers to discuss the issue
with staff. Rather than impose a blanket ban on football, and run
the risk of de-motivating staff and losing hours through
unauthorised sick days, we would encourage employers to let people
watch the games if they like – and claim back their time
afterwards. That way, everyone wins. People in the UK work the
longest hours in Europe and we believe rigid working hours
contribute to their unhappiness. Whether it's about watching
great sporting events like the World Cup or collecting children
from school, allowing people more flexibility makes them happier
and, ultimately, more productive for their employers.
Employers who adopt flexible working patterns see the benefits
because their production rates go up, they have less absenteeism
and a more contented workforce."
You have two options as an employer. Be flexible or be hard. If
hard then you could face dealing with absenteeism, disciplinary
issues and a heavily demotivated staff. You as the employer want to
maintain productivity and sustain health and safety within the
workplace. People are likely to drink more alcohol at this time -
recognise the risks:
- intoxicated or hung-over employees can be disruptive and
unproductive at work, cause accidents and upset others;
- care for employees – if an employee appears to be intoxicated,
employers have a duty of care to that employee as well as all other
staff and can ask the person to go home. Any incident should be
investigated thoroughly to address safety issues and potential
underlying reasons for the behaviour;
- know the limits – in some industries, alcohol can put lives at
risk, such as drivers and operators of machinery.
Consult your workforce and protect your business.