Companies in Britain plan work flexibility for Olympics

 LONDON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- More than half of employers in Britain are making changes to their working practices during the Olympics to enable staff to work more flexibly or enable them to watch key events at work, according to survey results released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) on Tuesday.

 

Data from the annual CIPD/Hays Resourcing and Talent Planning survey, finds many employers are planning to allow greater flexibility¹ for staff so they can avoid potential transport disruption.

 

The survey found that almost three in ten employers said they would try and accommodate requests from employees to work from home, 17 percent will extend flexible working opportunities, while 13 percent will actively² encourage staff to work from home.

 

The survey findings are released as the CIPD launches new guidance on Sporting events and absence management which highlights the range of options employers can consider to minimize disruption to the business and help employees make the most of the Olympics and other sporting events such as the European Football Championships.

 

Rebecca Clake, Research Adviser³ at CIPD, said: "There are a range of options available to employers to enable them to balance the requirements of the business with the interests and needs of employees."

 

"Options such as flexi-time and home working can enable employees in parts of the country likely to face travel disruption as a result of the Olympics to spend their time working rather than stuck in traffic jams or adding to the pressure likely to be faced by our public transport system."

 

Of course some employers, for example, those providing public transport, will face additional demands during the Olympics and will have to manage their workforces⁴ carefully to ensure there are sufficient staff to deliver services.

 

The survey showed 35 percent of public sector⁵ employers are planning to restrict leave during the Olympics to cope with this challenge.

 

According to CIPD research, many employers are also making preparations to allow staff to watch key events in the workplace. Almost 31 percent of employers will make TVs available in the workplace and 11 percent will allow employees to view events online on their work computer.

 

"Many employers are making provisions to enable employees to watch key events in the workplace, recognizing that the Olympics is an opportunity to build morale⁶ and employee engagement," said Clake.

 

"It is of course also unacceptable to turn up to work so hung over that you are incapable⁷ of doing any work. Employers should make clear there are disciplinary consequences for taking unauthorized time off without good reason or not performing or misbehaving at work."

1 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

2 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

3 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

4 workforces   

全体员工( workforce的名词复数 )； （国家或行业等）劳动力； 劳动大军； 劳动人口

参考例句：

• The Web has allowed companies to become more distributed and workforces to become more flexible. 网站已允许各公司更加分散，工作队伍也变得更加灵活。
• They are large centres of business in their own with skilled workforces and business-friendly environments. 从自身条件来说，它们都是大型商业中心，拥有大批技能型劳动力和友好的商业运作环境。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

7 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。