THE Forum of Private Business is advising its members not to discriminate against staff during the up-coming World Cup.
International football championships and other big sporting events often lead to staff being more distracted than normal and a raft of requests to view matches live. The Forum says employers should be aware that, to avoid discriminating against staff members who are not supporting England, or uninterested in football, employers should offer the same concessions to all staff.
“Sporting events like the World Cup can present major headaches for small firms whose employees are understandably excited and want to watch games during work hours,” said the Forum’s head of policy, Matt Goodman.
“Work is work and it is important to know when to draw the line on issues such as unauthorised absenteeism and declining productivity, but the sensible approach for both employers and their staff is to be flexible.”
