Millions of fans face a Monday morning drag after the Mexico v England game’s 1am kick-off. The late start puts England games into the kind of schedule that can leave workers short of sleep before the alarm goes off.
The match could run until almost 4am if it went to penalties, stretching the problem even further. Nicole Humphreys said employees have no automatic right to take time off at short notice for a match, and where there is no policy they should usually give notice of at least twice the length of the time off they are requesting.
Nicole Humphreys on holiday notice
That leaves a narrow route for anyone hoping to plan around the game. Humphreys, a partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said many employers will already have policies setting out how holiday should be booked, and the rule without one is simple: notice should usually be at least twice as long as the time being requested.
Taking the day off without permission is likely to lead to disciplinary action, and a one-day absence does not require a sicknote. Employees may need to self-certify that they were ill and give details of what was wrong with them, which is where a poor explanation can quickly become a workplace problem.
Joanne Moseley and sick leave
Joanne Moseley said employers should already have processes in place for the odd day off sick. She said return-to-work interviews can be used to ask employees to explain inconsistencies between the reason for their absence and observed behaviour, including pictures on social media watching football in the pub.
If an employee cannot give a satisfactory answer, disciplinary action is likely. Employers will typically only take action if unauthorised absence happens repeatedly, but the first bad call can still leave a mark on the record.
Paul Nowak and Monday morning
Paul Nowak appealed to employers to show some common sense and understanding. The TUC called on workplaces to let people work flexibly on Monday where they can, with a later start, working from home or time back later in the week all offered as options.
That is the practical trade-off for anyone who stays up: go without permission and the absence can be treated as unauthorised, or speak to a manager early and hope the workplace can bend around the 1am start. For many workers, the question is no longer whether the game will run late, but whether Monday morning will too.
