Summer weather has finally arrived for many with temperatures set to hit 27C this week. Added to that, England will continue their campaign in the group stages of Euro 2024 tonight against Slovenia with hopes of progressing to the knockout stages as group leaders.
All of this could create a perfect storm for HR professionals and business owners who could see themselves inundated with working from home requests, last-minute holiday requests, and the odd sick day from employees looking to take advantage of the sport and weather.
Employment advice for hot weather very much depends on the type of business you operate and in what conditions employees are required to work. If your premises is fully air-conditioned and provides a comfortable working environment for your employees, there may be less of a reason for your employees to need to work from home than if your premises are particularly susceptible to the heat or your employees mainly commute by public transport.
During last year’s heatwave, we gave some advice on the commonly asked questions related to working in hot weather. Take a look here.
Many England fans will be flying out to Germany to watch the final group stage match, and some may already be making plans for a trip out to the semi-finals or the final, should England make it. With the unpredictability of whether England (or another of their teams) will make it to the later stages of the tournament, employers could expect some last-minute annual leave requests.
ACAS recommends that employers should always adopt a fair and consistent approach when it comes to dealing with annual leave requests. If they receive multiple requests at the same time, the best practice is to deal with them on a first come first served basis. Alternatively, employees who work shifts may be permitted to switch shifts.
Those who aren’t travelling to Germany but would like to enjoy the tournament with family and friends may want to request more flexible working arrangements to fit in with their plans. Employers may want to consider a blanket policy to allow employees to finish a little earlier when the matches kick off in the afternoon. A blanket policy would also avoid the risk of complaints of unfair treatment from those who don’t have any interest in the football.
Finally, there may be an increase in employees calling in sick during the tournament. Employers should remind their employees of the company’s sickness policy as well as monitoring any unauthorised absences. While employers shouldn’t assume that any absence during the Euro 2024 period is disingenuous, they should remind their employees that high levels of absence or unauthorised absence could lead to disciplinary proceedings.
There’s no one size fits all approach for employers managing employees during a hot summer of sport; however, our specialists at Farleys have the experience to advise on a wide range of situations an employer or employee may find themselves in. If you’re looking for tailored advice on anything mentioned in this article, please contact our experts today on 0845 287 0939 or contact us by email.
