Why is everyone talking about… the Olympics?

If you’ve set foot into your office lately, chances are you’ve heard colleagues chatting about their country’s chances or performances at the Olympic Games in Paris, running until August 11th. 

It’s actually such an important source of shared employee bonding that Acas has urged businesses to be flexible when allowing employees to take time off to watch it. The workplace body suggested that they could be allowed to start late or leave early, making up for the lost time, or to keep tabs on the Olympics via radio or TV at work.

Especially as it's an event that only comes around every four years, we think it’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible talent of your employees’ various nations and foster belonging among your workforce.

Julie Develin, HR Speaker and Top 100 HR Influencer says: “If we know that employees are watching the Olympics, doing so on work hours, and some even considering ghosting work or "calling in sick," what can we do to use this opportunity to both the employer and the employee's advantage?” 

Here’s what she suggests: “Take this opportunity to bring people together. Consider hosting watch parties for key Olympic events. Use the Olympics to encourage goal-setting. For example, ask employees, ‘what is your Olympic-sized goal this month?’ Create a friendly competition by having employees or teams predict medal counts for different countries.”

The Olympics undoubtedly contain ample opportunities for HR to boost employee engagement, with few planning costs but many benefits in terms of creating a sense of belonging. Here are some simple ideas for you to try over the next few weeks: 

• Transform the office: Put up simple decorations like flags, offer snacks inspired by different countries or encourage employees to wear their country’s colours or sports attire.

• Create an ‘office Olympics’: You can also think about hosting inclusive office games like 'desk chair soccer' or offer an optional Olympic betting pool or sweepstakes with small, inexpensive prizes.

• Enable people to watch: Allow employees to adjust their schedules in order to catch their country’s biggest events, or think about streaming the biggest events in the office.

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Summertime schedule announcement: We know summer is a busy time! To help you make the most of it, our newsletter will be moving to a fortnightly schedule starting today. Look out for the next edition, featuring the most important HR stories, arriving on August 22nd.

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