Managing your workforce through a summer of sport

Are you a sporty employer?

Summer is just around the corner which means, for many of us, we are heading into a period of sporting utopia. If you are in to your tennis, you will know the Murray boys are in top form and our ladies are beginning to push into the higher echelons of world tennis. At the time of writing this article, The Invictus Games, championed by the ever-likeable Prince Harry are just about to start in Florida. Add the Tour de Yorkshire, the Euros and that thing called the Olympics and it's hard to see how we are going to find the time to do a full day's work.

Research shows that productivity suffers when the nation turns the telly on and this summer is looking like one long festival. So here's a few tips on how to enjoy the sport but still keep the cogs of industry turning:

1. Plan ahead. Talk to your workforce about their interests and gauge their likelihood of wanting extra time off if indeed England (or Scotland, Wales or any other country for that matter!), makes it into the latter stages of the Euros. Sort the work roster out in advance to avoid any issues later.

2. Have a party! Find a suitable time and place where you can watch the TV (or live stream to your pc or laptop) and enjoy some team building fun time. Bring the BBQ into work, set up a pop up bar and hire a few deckchairs. By making a determined effort to engage with your staff (and clients/suppliers), your productivity in the run up to the special occasion will remain high or even exceed normal performance levels. Just make sure the hangovers are kept to a minimum or better still are suffered on days off!

3. Allow compressed hours and flexible working. Negotiate changes in work patterns to suit both your needs and those of your workforce. Early starts, late finishes, split shifts etc

4. Get technical. Even at my age I’m beginning to figure out that not everything that is broadcast needs to be watched on a tv! Download SkyGo, Iplayer, ITVHub or other apps and prerecord stuff to watch after the office closes. A little time spent figuring out how to use these apps gives you the control to watch what you want, when you want.

5. Use temporary labour. Talk to your recruitment agency about bringing in temp staff to cover these periods of unpredictable performance. If your requirements are particularly complicated then start bringing in the temp staff now so they are fully trained up for that mad period when Murray wins Wimbledon, Cavendish wins the Tour de Yorkshire and England wins the Euros ... oh, and then the Olympics start!

    

   Save the date .....

   Tour de Yorkshire:  Friday 29th April to Sunday 1st May

   The Invictus Games: Sunday 8^th May to Thursday 12^th May

   FA Cup Final: Saturday 21st May

   Euros:  Friday 10th June to Sunday 10th July

   Wimbledon: Monday 27th June to Sunday 19th July

   Olympics: Friday 5th August to Sunday 21st August