Magazine |
Employers consider flexible working times during World Cup

Employers are considering introducing flexible benefits packages on a temporary basis during the World Cup period – but only if they support England.

The most popular options being considered, to take account of the fixtures, was shift swapping (33%), early finishes (59%) and late starts (35%) according to the research by DLA Piper which revealed that some 51% of 352 employers surveyed were investigating the option of felxible working for their staff during this period.

As well as seeking to mitigate absences in the workplace, employers must also consider their policy on internet usage during working hours, warn international legal firm, DLA Piper, as many of the games will be screened in the day time and will be streamed across the internet.

Tim Marshall, UK head of employment and partner at DLA Piper, explains why this approach could cause problems: ‘Shift swapping and flexible hours are all great strategies, but business leaders need to consider the finer implications of their actions.

He added: ‘By failing to offer staff who follow teams other than England the same opportunities for flexible working, employers are potentially opening themselves up to allegations of discrimination. Equally, by not offering flexible working patterns to staff that don't follow football at all, and expecting them to pick up their colleagues work, bosses could be undoing much of the goodwill they have tried to create.’
• Some 84% of McDonald's UK employees are planning to use flexible working initiatives around the World Cup, its own survey revealed.

01/06/2010