The England game kicks off at 1am on Monday, and that leaves Workers in England facing a Monday morning problem before the week has even started. The Mexico v England game could run until almost 4am if it goes to penalties.
Paul Nowak and the Monday shift
Paul Nowak, the TUC general secretary and an England fan, appealed to employers to show some common sense and understanding. The TUC wants people to be allowed to work flexibly where they can on Monday, with a later start or working from home among the options it suggested.
That gives supporters a practical route through the morning if they need to be in work after watching the match. The same approach also lets some staff make the time back later in the week after the game.
Nicole Humphreys on short notice
Nicole Humphreys said there is no automatic right to take time off at short notice for a match. She also said that where there is no policy, employees should usually give notice of at least twice the length of the time off they are requesting.
Workers had only since Wednesday night to make firm plans for the match. By Thursday morning, employees who asked as soon as they got in might be OK if their workplace holiday policy allowed it, but taking the day off without permission is likely to result in disciplinary action.
Joanne Moseley on sick leave
Joanne Moseley said employers should already have processes in place to deal with staff who phone in sick for the odd day. She said return-to-work interviews can be used to ask about inconsistencies between the reason for absence and observed behaviour, including pictures of staff on social media watching football in the pub.
Employees do not need a sicknote for a one-day absence, but they may need to self-certify that they were ill and give details of what was wrong with them. That leaves a clear gap between a football excuse and a medical one on Monday morning.
If England are victorious, the rest of their games will be at a more sleep-compatible time. For this match, the better plan is to sort work arrangements before the alarm goes off.
