Unless you have been on a space mission, you can’t have missed the fact that there are a plethora of Bank Holidays arriving in April along with a Royal Wedding. And we are already building up to the London Olympics. So how do employers cope with down time as a result of national or international events particularly at a time of economic pressure? You will see some specific advice from Jenna, one of our HR consultants, on how to deal with the additional Bank Holiday, in the next Business Edge, which will hit desks next week.
Clearly the Royal Wedding is a one off, but employers can be faced with World Cups, a good run by Andy Murray at Wimbledon, a Test series, and half a dozen other events which fuelled by media frenzy mean employees expect to be able to watch, for example, the England football team’s progress in a World cup campaign. Certainly last time, there were a number of Sussex employers who were installing tv’s or allowing staff time off to watch matches. And of course no employer is under any legal obligation to let staff watch the Wimbledon final, but most consider the implications of not allowing staff to indulge in national frenzies.
I would be really interested to hear from businesses who feel that they have managed to strike a balance between a supportive employee culture and one that still manages to effectively drive performance. And if you would like more information or advice on dealing with the forthcoming holiday, then get in touch with Jenna (jenna.pittam@sussexenterprise.co.uk) or check out the article in the next Business Edge.
