Football fever

Euro 2004 has kicked off and England fans will be keen to see the lads get through to the finals. Whether itís celebrating a fantastic England victory or drowning their sorrows after a bitter defeat, football fans will be indulging in more than their fair share of alcohol over the next month. Staff waking up with a severe hangover may be tempted to take sick leave and FirstAssist, the leading health and wellbeing solutions provider, is offering advice to employers keen to minimise the damage.

Tim Ablett, Chief Executive of FirstAssist comments, ìFootball is our national sport and it is understandable that people want to cheer England on, but taking bogus sick days puts an unacceptable amount of pressure on businesses, not to mention colleagues. Rising levels of staff absence costs UK business 11.6 billion per year*. This equates to approximately 475 per employee* every year to cover sick leave. Firms also admit to suspicions of staff using sick leave as an unauthorised extension of the weekend.

ìOur advice to businesses would be to:

a)Make it clear to staff that a hangover is not an acceptable reason to call in sick.

b)Highlight how it puts pressure on their colleagues when they are left to cover for them.

c)Emphasise the feeling of team spirit within your company to make staff think twice before taking sickies.

During Euro 2004 it is good to be flexible by letting staff take short notice holidays if they need to recover after watching a match the night before.î

ìDonít give staff the red card; show them you understand by getting into the spirit of the championship. Hang flags and wallcharts around the office so staff can keep track of the results. Sweepstakes are always a good way to enhance morale, helping everyone enjoy Euro 2004 and still make it to work everyday.

ìWith the rising costs of sickness absence, employers need to look after the needs of their staff all year round. Employers should implement health and wellbeing initiatives to ensure their staff are happy and working well. This will enhance morale, increase efficiency and minimise sickness, which in turn looks after the health of the business.î

Surviving Euro 2004
Make sure all staff are aware of the company policy on drinking and absence
Bring the spirit of Euro 2004 into the office with flags and posters
Arrange an office sweepstake to enhance morale and discourage absence
Provide employees with televisions so they can watch the crucial matches and make-up the time afterwards
Be flexible for staff wanting to take holiday to recover from football celebrations the night before
Arrange an office celebration in case England go all the way

To arrange an interview please contact Madeleine Roles or Justine Russell at HSL on 020 8977 9132 or email maddy@harrisonsadler.com.

* These are the latest figures from a survey of over 500 firms by the CBI and AXA published this week. Firms are paying 11.6 billion in 2003 to cover the cost of absenteeism. The total number of working days lost to absence has increased for the first time since 1998, caused by an eight per cent rise in service sector absence. Total days lost rose from 166 million in 2002 to 176 million in 2003. That is 7.2 days per employee, an increase of six per cent or almost half a day.