Employer Guidance For The 2012 Olympics Games

27/04/2012

By Elaine Burns, HR Account Manager At Gravitate HR

As we look forward to the long hot summer months, the excitement is already starting to build around the 2012 Olympics.

With this huge level of interest, the chances are that you will have staff attending the games or wanting to watch key events on TV. This means that while staff morale may be high, you are likely to face issues such as staff absence, transport disruption, staff shortages and revision to current policies.

Policy

Review and update company policies and procedures including absence and sickness, flexible working, travel, drugs and alcohol misuse....

...You will need to consider the likely impact on demand for products and services at the time of the Games and any additional requests for parental or holiday leave. The policy should be clear to avoid misunderstandings and unfairness.

Attendance

Allocate holidays in a just way and ensure your business is not left short staffed. Depending on the size of the organisation, you may have to operate a ‘first come first served’ policy for annual leave, or allow unpaid leave for certain events. Write to staff to explain your policy and the need for cover during this time, as this will help manage expectations. You should also ensure that work handovers are completed so colleagues can pick up any work during periods of leave.

Travel disruption

In the summer there will be an increase in the volume of people commuting in and out of London, and security is likely to be tighter. It is worth remembering that you are not automatically entitled to pay employees if they are unable to get to work because of travel disruption so it might be worth re-considering travel, flexible working and meeting plans around this time. Consider video conferencing, conference calls or other means... continued on page two >

 

 

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