England’s middle-of-the-night World Cup clash with Mexico has prompted calls for employers to use their “common sense and understanding” and allow flexible working where possible.
While some industries such as manufacturing and retail may be less able to provide flexibility, others are offering bleary-eyed fans later starts on Monday so they can catch up on sleep.
Joshua Elash, who runs London-based firm MT Finance Group, is allowing his staff to start work at 11:00.
“It wasn’t a dilemma at all. This was as close to a no-brainer as a business can get,” he says.
The company does not have a work from home policy, and under normal circumstances all 125 employees would be in the office at 08:45 or 09:00 Monday morning.
Joshua says he and other senior managers will be staying up to watch the game, and if he fancies a lie-in it’s only fair to extend that to colleagues.
“It’s good for morale,” he says, adding it will be worth it even if Monday isn’t particularly productive.
“Some things are more important than, you know, a day’s revenue,” he adds.
Digital marketing company MadeByShape, based in Manchester, is giving its 21 staff the day off – providing they are on track with their work and rearrange any client meetings.
“As long as the work gets done, it doesn’t really matter whether you work that day or catch up the next,” says co-founder Andy Golpys.
“They [staff] appreciate you more, but from a business point of view, we’re not really losing that much.”
On Thursday, the government said pubs would be able to stay open until 05:00 on Monday – after earlier that day ruling this out. It was welcomed by some hospitality groups, but police criticised the “late” announcement.
Reports on Friday then suggested the 01:00 kick-off was set to be brought forward by six hours due to concerns over storms, before Fifa decided against this hours later.
The TUC, the umbrella group for trade unions, is calling for “common sense and understanding” concerning morning-after working arrangements.
The match will “have implications for workers across the country”, says its assistant general secretary Kate Bell.
She says employees should check what their contract says and what their rights are, and hopes bosses where possible will allow staff to work from home, start later or swap their hours.
“It won’t be possible for everyone, but we do know that where employers make that extra effort to show flexibility to their employees, people really appreciate it,” she says.
John Palmer, senior advisor at conciliation service Acas, says firms must treat requests for time off fairly – there will be Mexico fans as well as England supporters in the workforce. Employees should be aware it might not be possible to book time off at short notice.
According to the Federation of Small Businesses, smaller firms can often be more nimble as chains of command are shorter and it is simpler to amend working hours temporarily.
The British Chambers of Commerce says businesses where flexibility will be challenging include manufacturing production lines, frontline retail and hospitality.
Its director of policy, Kate Shoesmith, says: “Ultimately, there will be some jobs, such as shift work, where it won’t be possible but we’re confident most employers will be thinking about how they can keep everyone onside.
“Talking to staff and customers about plans, can also help reduce disruption and decrease any impact on productivity.”
Supermarkets Sainsbury’s and Aldi say it will be business as usual in their stores on Monday. There’s also no change for the car manufacturer Nissan.
Octopus Energy is allowing its engineers to start home visits a couple of hours late, while staff in office or home-based roles looking after customers can start and finish later.
“We want to make sure before people drive and do safety-critical work you’ve had a bit of rest but also that you’re able to watch the game,” says chief executive Greg Jackson.
He says they will fill gaps with cover from colleagues in Bosnia and South Africa, and staff who come in will be thanked with snacks in the morning.
Zaid Patel, director of estate agency Highcastle Estates, has cancelled his team’s usual Monday morning meeting and is allowing staff to start late or book last-minute leave.
“I don’t want people to be conflicted over watching the England game and coming into work,” he says, adding he’ll “get the black coffees ready” for those who do come in.
He thinks the decision will help with “trust and culture” in the business. “We have conversations about the World Cup every day,” he adds.
