What practical steps could my boss take to help staff watch sporting events?

• This might include allowing changes to starting or finishing times, or breaks during the working day. Managers could also look favourably on requests for leave and flexitime.
• Managers could also be encouraged to think about work-scheduling in order to avoid important deadlines clashing with key matches if at all possible.
• Providing a television viewing room for key matches would help to reduce disruption and absenteeism.
• Staff may also want to listen to some games on radios while working. This request should be easy to meet, providing it doesn’t disrupt other staff or public facing parts of the business.
• Where staff have internet access, employers could choose to allow them to follow matches over online video or audio, in the background, or in their own time at their desks. Whether or not this is allowed, the policy on personal web use should be clarified in advance, as many people trying to access online video at once could put a strain on the organisation’s connectivity if not managed properly.