World Cup Football starts on the 14th of June! Employers, do you know what to do when there is a large sporting event, such as the football World Cup or Wimbledon tennis tournament, which employees might want to follow during their normal working hours? What flexibility, if any, might an employer want to offer to employees?
Employers can consider one or more of the following options:
- allowing flexible working arrangements
- relaxing rules on radios and internet access
- providing communal facilities to televise the sporting events during designated breaks or after working hours
What, if anything, might employers want to consider in respect of restricting or monitoring the time employees spend on the internet, eg streaming or keeping up to date with results?
Employers will need to carefully consider how they wish to approach major sporting events and whether they intend to restrict or monitor the time employees spend watching or streaming them. This is why it could be beneficial to produce a specific sporting events policy to complement any internet usage or monitoring policy already in place. However, the employer should also consider the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Human Rights Act 1998 when implementing a policy. Before any monitoring is undertaken, it is essential to undertake an impact assessment. Some helpful guidance on monitoring employees is set out in the ICO employment practices code (based on the now repealed Data Protection Act 1998).
Should employers issue specific policies or statements in advance of such events? If so, what should they include?
To manage any issues which could arise during major sporting events, implementing a company-wide policy or statement is advisable. Having a policy in place will help inform staff of any exceptions to usual working practices, give clarity on what is permissible and define the parameters for disciplinary action should an employee fail to comply. Furthermore, the advantage of creating such a policy is that, once created, it can be re-used for each large sporting event.
Just remember that such policy has to be communicated to all employees and they should all be provided with a copy in advance of the major sporting event. Where applicable, employers should also post the policies on their intranet.
Finally, if an employer does create a policy or release a statement ahead of any major sporting event they should ensure that it is followed, applied and enforced consistently.
GO ENGLAND!!!
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