Acas issues advice ahead of Women’s World Cup semi-final

Ahead of England’s Women’s World Cup semi-final match against Australia tomorrow morning (16 August), Acas has reminded employers to have agreements in place covering requests for time off or watching TV during working hours.

Kick-off is at 11am UK time, so employers could encounter last-minute requests for annual leave, an uptick in sickness absence, or workers listening to the radio or watching TV while they are working.

“The Women’s World Cup 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 Acas chief executive Susan Clews.

“For many businesses, maintaining a certain staffing level is critical in order to survive. Employers should have a set of simple workplace agreements in place before kick-off to help ensure their businesses remain productive whilst keeping staff on side too.”

It has advised employers to consider:

• being more flexible around requests for annual leave during the Women’s World Cup tournament. It said both employers and employees should try to come to an agreement, and all requests for leave should be considered fairly
• reminding employees about their sickness absence policies and the potential for any unauthorised absence, patterns of absence or late attendance to be subject to a formal investigation
• introducing a more flexible working day, where employees can begin work later or finish sooner and agree to make this time up
• allowing staff to listen to the radio or watch TV while working, or allowing them to take a break during the Lionesses’ match
• allowing staff to swap shifts with their manager’s permission
• managing any potential increase in the use of social media and websites covering the match, and reminding employees about policies surrounding internet use during working hours.

Clews said: “Our top tips can help managers get the best from their team players, arrange appropriate substitutions if necessary and avoid unnecessary penalties or unplanned sendings-off.”

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