On Wednesday night, Thomas Tuchel's England side face Argentina in a World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, kicking off at 8pm. With the friendly viewing time meaning pubs will be packed, many fans are wondering if they can take time off work on Thursday morning. A lawyer has confirmed the legal position on this issue.
Employer's Obligations on Time Off
The lawyer warns: "Unless your boss has been informed beforehand, there is no obligation for them to let you leave work early." This means that employees cannot assume they will be allowed to arrive late or miss work without prior agreement. For those who call in sick the next day, workers have been told they are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay, but only if they have started work for an employer, are sick for four days straight, or earn at least £113 a week.
Challenging Employer Decisions
If your bosses challenge your sickness, workers are able to challenge their employers, requesting they fill in the Labour Party government sick pay form explaining their reasons. Torque Law adds: "An employer can refuse an employee’s holiday request where it has sound operational reasons for doing so, for example, because there will be inadequate cover due to it being a peak period or other employees’ prior booked leave."
Requests can also be refused, legitimately, where the employee has failed to comply with the employer’s own policies and procedures, for example, by giving insufficient notice or where the employee does not have the days to take. In refusing a leave request, the employer should explain the reason(s) and ensure that the employee is given sufficient notice of the refusal.
Excitement Builds Ahead of Semi-Final
It comes as excitement builds ahead of tomorrow's clash, which comes hot off the heels of France vs Spain in the other semi-final on Tuesday night. France and Spain have met on 38 occasions over the years, and it is the European champions who lead the head-to-head record with 18 wins to Les Bleus' 13, while the sides have played out seven draws. Tonight will be France's eighth appearance in the final four of the World Cup, with only Germany reaching this stage more often (12).
