CorpComms Magazine

Nine out of ten employers have no strategy in place for managing the staff absence anticipated during this year's World Cup, according to a poll by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Just one in 20 companies have formulated a policy with a further five per cent in the process of creating one. In response to these figures, the CIPD has created a series of guidelines for employers looking to minimise lost productivity over the month of the tournament.

Suggestions include offering employees more flexible working hours with the potential for shift swaps, screening some matches on the premises to motivate footie fans to stay at work and cut productivity losses to hours rather than days, and including the option of unpaid leave for those anticipating groggy mornings after match nights.

The guide also advises employers to make their general absentee policy clear, encouraging fans to factor their World Cup viewing into their allotted annual leave, and highlighting the disciplinary consequences of unauthorised absence.

John McGurk, skills and learning adviser at CIPD, said: 'It's alarming that only ten per cent of employers are drafting or already have guidance in place to manage absence during the World Cup. Research suggests that when employers demonstrate they care about their staff and their interests outside of work, employees are more likely to go the extra mile for the organisation. Whatever individual organisations decide is right for their employees, guidance should be clear and communicated well.'

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