As the nation is swept up in World Cup fever, it may be easy to forget that some people simply don’t like football. And that goes for Christmas too.
While focus shifts to the upcoming festivities, spare a thought for those who may not celebrate, and for those who struggle at this time of year.
Love it or hate it, there’s seemingly no escape as football and festive chatter reigns supreme in the workplace.
Unless you have an HR game plan for your business, you might find some employees feeling left out and frustrated in the month ahead.
Kate Palmer, HR Advice & Consultancy Director at Peninsula, has this advice on the best way to keep all your staff involved and engaged this season.
“The World Cup is arguably the biggest fixture the sporting calendar and a source of great excitement, camaraderie, and engagement amongst fans. But let’s not forget the downside of it as well.
“Claims of discrimination and harassment are expected to rise, due to the competitive nature of the competition. This can spill over into the workplace with derogatory remarks being made to colleagues supporting different countries – which is, of course, unacceptable.
Additionally, those who are not swept up in football fever may also find themselves dealing with a drop in productivity or having to take on extra work while colleagues neglect their responsibilities to keep up with scores due to matches take place during working hours.
“The best way to address these issues and ensure every employee is treated fairly and on equal footing is by having a specific sporting policy in place, outlining your company’s stance on major sporting events such as the World Cup. This would include, for example, whether employees are allowed to wear football shirts on match days, whether matches will be shown at work, the rules around checking live scores, and any other scenario that may arise.
“Alongside your bullying and harassment policies, this will define what behaviour is and isn’t acceptable in the workplace and provide the framework for managing any inappropriate conduct that may arise.
“To ensure an inclusive environment, make sure conversation doesn’t solely revolve around football during these coming weeks. Equally, even though you might want to embrace the football fandom at work, don’t insist that people wear football shirts or take part in sweepstakes and other tournament related activities. Everything should be a choice, so those who have no interest are not excluded or forced to participate.
“This brings me onto my next point.
“As the conversation turns to Christmas, it’s important to be mindful of your staff who may be struggling at this time of year.
“For many, feelings of grief can be heightened especially if this is the first Christmas without a loved one. Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms can also worsen this time of year, with the dark mornings and evenings increasing feelings of depression and anxiety. Some employees may find it difficult to get into the festive spirit, declining invitations to attend celebrations or partake in Secret Santa gift exchanges, etc.
“This also goes for people who don’t celebrate Christmas, for religious or any other reason. Whilst every effort should go toward ensuring those who’d like to participate can do so, it’s vital to not enforce anything on staff.”
