New Research Highlights Need To Prepare For London 2012

Employment law experts at Irwin Mitchell have once again called on businesses to introduce workplace measures to ensure they have the necessary manpower when the London 2012 Olympics kick off.

With just a year left until the opening ceremony of the eagerly anticipated sporting extravaganza, new research from recruitment firm Badenoch & Clark has revealed that nearly eight out of ten employers have not put a policy in place to ensure workers can enjoy the spectacle.

The need for firms to put measures in place to address this issue was emphasised by another statistic, which suggested one in six workers would think about taking a sick day in order to watch the Olympics.

Irwin Mitchell’s employment law team have long called for companies to ensure policies are in place to ensure workers are able to not only enjoy the sporting events, but also have clear guidance on how they can do this in the best possible way.

Ed Cotton, a Partner and expert in employment law at the firm’s Manchester office, said: “With just 12 months left until the Olympics begin, there are obvious advantages to addressing this issue sooner rather than later.

“Firms do have options and tools at their disposal to ensure everyone in the workplace can enjoy the Olympics without taking desperate measures to do so.”

 “Flexible working can be exceptionally useful, as it offers employees the chance to swap shifts so that they can make use of those prized event tickets they battled through several auctions for,” Ed outlined.

“In addition, a policy related to time off during the Olympics could help when the holiday requests come flooding in. One option would be to offer certain dates on a first come first serve basis.”

“Finally, employers could do worse than installing TVs in communal areas, as long as their introduction is not deemed to be either a distraction or, worse still, a health and safety issue.

“Whatever their plans, we would urge employers to get thinking now to spare a lot of confusion further down the line. With less than a year left to think about this, the clock is undoubtedly ticking.”