General Insurance Article - Allianz warns firms of need for Olympic policy

 Companies must have an adequate policy in place for employees who wish to take time off during London 2012, advises Allianz Legal Protection (ALP).

  

 This warning follows recent findings from Badenoch & Clark, which revealed that 80% of businesses are yet to put any plans in place for dealing with employee absence during next years Olympics. The research also found that one in six employees plan to take a ‘sick day' to watch the event.

 Allianz Legal Protection says that employers must already be thinking about how they will deal with requests for time off.

  

 Richard Simpkins, Lawphone supervisor at ALP, comments: "I would recommend that businesses issue a communication to staff as soon as possible outlining a formal procedure for taking time off.

 "It is likely that employees will want to take time off during the event. However, there are alternatives that employers might want to consider to avoid staff absenses, such as flexible working arrangements during the games or even arranging for a TV to be set up in the workplace so that employees can watch some of the key events."

 He adds: "If staff do take unplanned leave during the Olympics, there could be serious

 consequences for businesses and, in some cases, could result in them being unable to operate. In order to avoid any business interruption, it is imperative that problems are tackled before the event."