Can I Watch The Olympics - Whilst at Work?

Can I watch the Olympics at work?

Whether you would be able to watch the Olympics during your working hours depends on whether this has been agreed by your employer, particularly if you are using a company device.

You have no legal right to watch sporting events during work time and if your employer refuses to permit you to watch any of the games during work hours, there is little that you can do to challenge this from a legal standpoint.

How to Watch The Olympics Whilst at Work

You may wish to speak to your employer to see if you can negotiate time during the day when you may be able to watch important events or have a TV in your workplace. If you feel that your employer is being unreasonable, you could raise a grievance regarding your concerns.

The ACAS viewpoint

Acas has advised businesses to establish agreements for managing requests related to time off, sickness absence, or watching TV during the Paris Olympics, which runs until 11 August.

The conciliatory service has recommended that employers be more flexible with staff time off, as well as reminding them that their sickness and attendance policies will remain in effect during the Olympics.

Acas has suggested, employees could:

• start later or finish earlier
• agree on when to make up the time; and
• be permitted to listen to events on the radio or watch them on TV/mobile phone during working hours.

Acas chief executive Susan Clews said: “Paris 2024 will be an exciting event for many sports fans but staff should avoid getting disqualified for unreasonable demands or behaviour in the workplace during this period.

"Employers and businesses have been told by ACAS told to be flexible about staff and employees' time off to watch Olympic games however they are under no obligation to allow their workforce to watch the Olympics. Employers are advised to inform their employees of their policies and implement a clear and fair way to implement the employees’ preferences about watching the Olympics 2024."

Sejal Patel, Senior Associate Solicitor, Lawson West Solicitors, Leicester 

"If your employer hasn't been specific, it is always best practice to be reasonable and to make a formal request, rather than assume you can watch sport whilst at work. You could make a suggestion to your employer about a policy for the Olympics where several staff might be interested to watch, or a policy for how to make up time at the beginning or end of the day. It is unreasonable for a worker to expect any employer to allow you to sit and watch Olympics TV throughout your working day/night, particularly as it is possible to catch-up on races, footage and headline scores from your mobile device after or before working hours."

 

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