...I find it hard to put into words just how much I appreciated your concern for my wellbeing and your willingness to fit me into your busy schedule, when I walked into your offices distressed and without an appointment!.......
Client thank you email to Lara Colgan of the Employment Department
Legal News Update
09 August 2011
Employers to put in place 2012 Olympics leave policy or face a greater impact on productivity
ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) has advised that workers should start negotiations with their employers now for time off to enjoy the Olympic games in 2012 as demand is expected to be high for employees to watch events. They went on to confirm that firms need to be flexible, including changing start and finish times, rearranging lunch breaks and responding fairly to requests for time off. Recruitment Consultancy Badenoch & Clark added that according to their recent report only one out of five employers had established an Olympic 2012 leave policy.
The Badenoch & Clark report also confirmed that one in six workers would consider taking a sick day to watch the games. It found that one in four of those aged between 16 and 34 years are more likely to do this. Nicola Linkleter, managing director at Badenoch & Clark, said “Corporate Britain needs to ensure that they can continue to run their organisations during London 2012 and employees need to know what is expected.”
ACAS chief executive John Taylor confirmed “employers need to start planning now to avoid problems later on, check policies and procedures and remind staff how these work in practice. If you've been lucky enough to get tickets for the Olympics you certainly don't want to find you can't get the time off work.” This is especially true in light of the difficulty and controversy surrounding the application process for tickets, perhaps encouraging more people to ensure one way or another that they do not miss out on the events they have secured entry to.