WORLD CUP FEVER
Bosses hand out Monday late pass
Some of New Zealand’s biggest companies have offered flexible working hours so staff can soak up — or recover from — Monday’s football World Cup final.
France and Croatia will do battle in the final — with kick-off for the clash in Moscow set for 3am NZT.
Hundreds of thousands of sports mad Kiwis have been glued to televisions at their homes, bars, workplaces or other locations during the tournament.
And despite the final being a Monday, the same will happen when the two European teams face off in the final.
Telco giants Vodafone and Spark both told the Weekend Herald they had ensured flexibility was offered to staff wanting to watch the clash.
Vodafone employees can make up for time spent watching the game — or recovering from it — with flexible work hours. Or they can grab a coffee and watch at the office.
“We have a flexible policy anyway for people dropping off kids or beating the traffic but also around big events like this,” Meera Kaushik of Vodafone said. “We have a big screen and the coffee machine going so it’s a great team environment. People can come in and watch the game and start work later.”
At Spark there is no blanket policy but many workers have arranged alternative work hours so they can enjoy the game guilt-free.
For those working at companies which didn’t have such policies, Val Hayes from the Employers and Manufacturers Association urged employees to ensure they contacted management before Monday to say they would either be late or request last minute leave.
“Whatever you do, don’t just throw a sickie. That is just not good practice,” Hayes said.
Allowing staff to arrive later or take a day off was at the employer’s discretion, Hayes said.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman from Government agency Employment New Zealand urged both employers and employees to “deal with each in good faith”.
That included flexible hours. “The employer might consider agreeing to a period of leave without pay or allowing the employee to take annual leave for the time they are away from work. The employer could also allow the employee to make up the time that they are away from work another time.”
They said workers had to take reasonable care of their own health and safety, and that of other staff. Employers had to look after staff and any problems that could arise from fatigue.
“How an employer chooses to do this will depend on what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances,” a spokeswoman said. Bars and pubs across the country have a special licence to cater to patrons keen to watch the France v Croatia final.
The Paddington in Parnell has had a special licence throughout the tournament and will reopen at 11.30pm tomorrow for fans. The pub was at capacity for the semifinal and tickets for the final are selling fast. “We were disappointed that England were knocked out but all of the teams have been well supported here,” owner Mike Jennings said. “We have a diverse crowd and have had a lot of French fans through so I’m guessing we will have a lot on Monday.”
The $20 ticket charge included the first drink. There was full breakfast — including French toast.
The Fox sports bar in Auckland