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With 205 nations, and 11,000 athletes descending on the capital
to take part in over 300 world-class sporting events this summer,
it's no wonder most of us are more than a bit excited about the
London Olympics.
No employer wants to put a damper on what's set to be a
once-in-a-lifetime experience, and with a watchword of caution, the
London Olympics and Paralympics can be a win-win celebration
– an accessible way to engage staff and boost morale.
The key to keeping things positive and harmonious in the
workplace is to ensure clear communication with employees, so that
everyone knows what is expected, as early as possible. If you
haven't already done so, it makes sound HR sense to formulate a
plan and appropriate policies that set out your organisation's
approach to the games.
You might decide on a simple first-come-first-served policy for
booking leave, but drawing up some guidelines is a good idea. You
should also be prepared to receive employee holiday requests for
specific events based on nationality, aim to accommodate them where
possible and remind employees that no request is guaranteed.
"The key to keeping things positive and harmonious in the
workplace is to ensure clear communication with employees, so that
everyone knows what is expected, as early as possible"
Flexible working
As a small business, other issues to consider when devising an
HR policy around the Olympics include flexible working. Even if
your staff do not generally work flexibly, if the nature of your
business permits it you might want to consider introducing the
practice during the sport-obsessed fortnight of the games.
Performance issues are also likely to demand some consideration.
If staff might be tempted to spend long periods gathered round a
computer to watch the crowd-pulling sports, it might pay to plan
for the most popular in advance.
Showing the big-ticket events, such as the opening ceremony and
the athletics finals, on a wide screen tv on work premises
demonstrates the kind of employer goodwill that keeps staff
motivated.
Without being too heavy handed, it's worth remembering that
any employer-organised events that you might be putting on for
staff are still officially considered work time. If there's
alcohol involved, it's important to ensure employees behave
appropriately and don't get carried away by a heady combination
of sporting history being made and one too many Olympic
cocktails.
On a – possibly – related matter, employees
who are off sick on the day of – or the day after
– key sporting events should be made aware that they will
need to provide medical evidence such as a doctor's note, or
risk triggering the company's disciplinary procedure.
Given that most events are being held in London, travel
disruption elsewhere in the country should be at a minimum.
Nevertheless, it's worth being prepared, especially with
morning events, and insisting employees follow your company's
procedure for reporting lateness.
The competitive international nature of the Olympics might also
throw up some unforeseen problems for employers with an ethnically
mixed workforce. If good natured national sporting rivalries
threaten to mutate into hostilities among your staff, you need to
make employees aware of the sportsmanlike attitudes expected when
supporting one nation over another.
Unwanted or aggressive behaviour towards colleagues of different
nationalities could spill over into discrimination, which is
totally unacceptable.
Maximising the feel-good factor of the Olympics - with its
potential for employees to embrace the carnival spirit, and
sporting values such as excellence, determination and respect -
could be too good an opportunity for employers to miss. For
low-cost ways to be a part of the sporting event of the century,
small businesses might want to consider organising an employee away
day to watch one of the free events such as the triathlon in Hyde
Park or the road cycling in central London.
Failing that, workplace screenings of some of the popular events
should help cast a warm glow that will win you plenty of gold
medals for good employee relations during the 2012
extravaganza.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
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