Olympics 2016: Bosses advised to let staff change their work schedule to watch Rio Olympics

Flexible working: Staff should be able to finish early and start late
AP
Chloe Chaplain24 July 2016

Bosses are being advised to let sports-mad staff work flexible hours to fit work around watching the Rio Olympics.

The employer advisory service, Acas, has issued the guidance to help companies deal with potential problems posed by the Games when they start next week.

It suggested bosses should allow employees to start late, finish early and swap shifts so they can watch their favourite sports.

Acas chairman Sir Brendan Barber urged bosses not to penalise staff during the "exciting event".

He said: "Rio 2016 will be an exciting event for many sports fans but staff should avoid getting disqualified for unreasonable demands or behaviour in the workplace during this period.

"Many businesses need to maintain a certain staffing level in order to survive and employers should have a set of simple workplace agreements in place before the starting gun goes off for the Olympic Games.

"These agreements can help ensure businesses remain productive whilst keeping staff happy too.

"Our guidance can help managers get the best from their team by planning for potential hurdles, arranging team relay handovers if necessary and avoiding unnecessary false starts."

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