Acas urges flexibility for employees during Olympics

Acas has urged employers to be flexible when allowing staff time off to watch the Olympic Games in the coming weeks.

Running until 11 August, the games begin in Paris tomorrow (26 July) although some competitions – such as football, archery, rugby sevens and handball – have already started.

Susan Clews, the chief executive at Acas, said: “Paris 2024 will be an exciting event for many sports fans but staff should avoid getting disqualified for unreasonable demands or behaviour in the workplace during this period.”

Business continuity should be a priority, she said, given that the Olympics coincides with the peak of the summer holidays: “For many businesses, maintaining a certain staffing level is critical in order to survive and sprint to that finish line. Employers should have a set of simple workplace agreements in place before the starting gun goes off for the Olympic Games. These agreements can help ensure businesses remain productive while keeping staff happy too.”

Acas advised company heads to be flexible when considering holiday requests and reminded employees that ordinary rules around sickness and attendance still stand, despite the Olympics being on. The body said that employees could be allowed to start late or leave early, as long as they make up for the lost time, and perhaps may be allowed to keep tabs on the Olympics via radio or TV at work.

Following so soon after the end of the Euros, in which England reached the final only to lose to Spain, it’s likely that HR teams should be well-practised when dealing with staffing levels during the Olympics.

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However, employment law specialist KBL Solicitors, in addition to warning over absences and continuity, suggested that employers during sports events needed to be mindful of comments or behaviour that may arise in the workplace between supporters of different national teams. It stated: “Employers should promote diversity, inclusivity and endorse a culture of respect, taking proactive steps to address any concerns if and as they arise.”

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