World Cup 2026: employer FAQ for UK businesses

Employees may want to enjoy the World Cup, but employers are still entitled to expect them to attend work fit to do their job safely and properly. Being hungover is not, on its own, a disciplinary issue but it might be if it impacts upon attendance, performance, behaviour or safety.

Start with the basics. Remind staff before the tournament that normal standards still apply, including attendance, punctuality, performance and fitness for work. Check that your sickness, disciplinary, alcohol and health and safety policies support the approach you want to take.

If someone is unfit for work, deal with any immediate risk first. That is especially important in safety-critical roles. Depending on the circumstances, that may mean sending them home or removing them from duties while you assess the situation.

Do not jump to conclusions. Focus on the facts and, if there is repeated lateness, poor performance or misconduct, deal with it under your usual disciplinary procedure. If there may be an underlying alcohol problem, consider whether support is needed. Any formal action should be fair, proportionate and consistent.

The right approach will depend on what your business can realistically manage. Employees have the right to take annual leave, but not to choose exactly when they take it. You can refuse requests where the timing would cause operational problems or put too much pressure on colleagues.

The best starting point is a clear and consistently applied holiday policy. If your policy requires notice or manager approval, follow it. If you expect competing requests, decide in advance how you will handle them, for example on a first-come, first-served basis or by reference to business need.

If you can offer some flexibility, that may help reduce the risk of unauthorised absence. Depending on the role and the needs of the business, that might include shift swaps, adjusted hours, unpaid leave or time off in lieu where appropriate. Make sure any agreed arrangement is approved through your usual holiday or rota process and recorded clearly.

Apply the approach fairly and consistently. Avoid favouring particular teams, fixtures or groups of employees, as that can create employee relations issues and, in some cases, discrimination risk.

Treat this as a request for extra annual leave. Start by checking how much leave the employee has left, what was originally agreed and whether your holiday policy makes clear that extra time off must be approved in advance. If the business can accommodate the request, you can agree to it. If not, you are entitled to refuse it. The fact that your employee probably spent a lot of money on tickets is not the deciding factor.

If you say no, explain the decision clearly and confirm that any extra time away without approval will be treated as unauthorised absence. If you agree, confirm the revised dates in writing so there is no confusion about when the employee is expected back. If they do not return on time, deal with that under your absence reporting and disciplinary procedures. If they later report sick and you have genuine concerns, follow your sickness absence process and hold a return-to-work discussion.

Be careful not to assume someone is pretending to be ill just because a match is on. But if you are seeing a pattern, do not ignore it. Apply your usual sickness absence process, including notification requirements, self-certification and medical evidence where appropriate.

Return-to-work interviews are often the most useful practical step. They give you a chance to check on the employee, ask sensible questions, identify any underlying issue and remind them of your attendance expectations. Used consistently, they can also discourage non-genuine absences.

If absences repeatedly line up with high-profile fixtures or there is evidence that an absence is not genuine, you may have grounds to investigate. Any formal action should follow your sickness absence or disciplinary procedure, be based on evidence and be taken fairly.

Consistency is key. It helps you address abuse of the sickness process while reducing the risk of unfairness or discrimination complaints.

There may be quieter periods during a shift, but this does not automatically justify employees engaging in personal activities during working time. In some workplaces, a degree of flexibility may be possible, but that should be a conscious management decision rather than something employees assume they can do. If watching matches on phones is affecting output, service or safety, you are entitled to step in.

Start by reminding staff of the rules on personal phone use during working time and refer back to any IT, mobile phone or conduct policies you already have. Be particularly clear in customer-facing or safety-critical roles where distraction can have more serious consequences.

If the issue continues, deal with it under your disciplinary procedure in the usual way. Consistency matters, especially if some managers have taken a more relaxed approach. Where workable, allowing staff to watch matches during breaks may be a sensible compromise, but communicate that clearly and apply it fairly.

It is sensible to plan ahead. A short message before the final is likely to be more effective than dealing with issues after the event. You can acknowledge the excitement while making clear that normal expectations around attendance, punctuality and fitness for work still apply the next day.

If you are willing to offer some flexibility, such as a later start, home working or pre-booked leave, say so clearly and explain any limits. If you cannot offer flexibility, be clear about that too and remind staff that unauthorised absence or lateness may be dealt with under the appropriate procedure. The tone does not need to be heavy-handed. A light but clear message usually works best: enjoy the occasion but plan responsibly.

The key message for employers is straightforward: communicate expectations early, apply policies consistently and use flexibility where the business can support it. That approach will usually do more to manage World Cup-related disruption than any special one-off rules.