Sick of the World Cup???
By Gail Escolme, 18 June 2010 –
So - once again we find ourselves immersed in World Cup Fever. Mind you - if we don't play well tonight and next Wednesday it could all be over for us!
I always remind my clients around these times to ensure that they have an effective system for monitoring sickness absence in place. For example, next Wednesday is likely to see a spike in sickness absence as the England match is in the afternoon. Employers should be encouraging their employees to book time off to watch the match, rather than "throw a sickie" to do so, which leaves the employer without cover and lets down their work colleagues.
A warning in advance that any sickness on that day will be specifically questioned should serve as a deterrant. However employers must remember that the sickness could indeed be genuine, so don't dive in with both feet! Having said that if there is a clear pattern of sickness absence throughout the World Cup period in respect of any employee, the employer should not be afraid of invoking the disciplinary procedure - always call me first if you are not sure how to do that correctly!