As the 2014 World Cup debuts in Brazil, many working football fans who wish to catch some of their favorite matches on television or live at the host country are wondering ahead of the sporting event whether their employers would be open to telecommuting or having flexible work hours for such occasions. The Guardian cited some observers, who said that some of the matches begin before the end of most people's day at work.
In the UK, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, a Crown non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom, suggested that employers should need to be more lenient with their workers who are seeking options to work while being able to see what arguably is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. According to the organization, flexibility from both employers and employees during the tournament is actually key to an engaged and productive workforce. To be able to achieve such goal, Acas suggests having a specific sporting policy in the workplace, of which amazingly some of the employers have already in place.
Acas wrote, "Employers may wish to look at being more flexible when allowing employees leave (or time off) during this period, with the understanding that this will be temporary arrangement. Employees should remember that special arrangements may not always be possible. The key is for both parties to try and come to an agreement."
The Guardian emphasized the importance of such work policy by pointing to the results of a recent survey conducted for international internet-based market research firm YouGov, which indicate that 25% of men within the ages of 25 to 34 years has said that they could take an unauthorized leave of absence once World Cup starts. This could easily provide a headache to companies, especially to firms who value optimum staffing levels during critical work periods.
Moreover, the British paper also said that even if workers do not leave for work, the use of social media in the workplace, especially during World Cup can be quite a problem, and can reduce employee productivity as the focus is more on the games rather than at work.
Acas said, "Employers should have a clear policy regarding web use in the workplace and the policy should be cascaded to all employees. If employers are monitoring internet usage then the data protection regulations require them to make it clear that it is happening to all employees. A web use policy should make clear what is and what is not acceptable usage."
