Employer guidance for the Olympics Games 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.

For many, it is an inspiring, once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the event in their home country. Over six million tickets have been sold with a further 700,000 still to be distributed and 70,000 volunteers set to take part.

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.
To help prepare your business for the Olympics, Elaine Burns of Gravitate HR outlines the key areas you need to focus on:

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... continued on page two >

 

 

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