With the Royal Wedding less than a week away, most organisations have now taken the decision whether or not to allow employees to take the day off as a Public Holiday. However, this decision is likely just to be the beginning of the problems many organisations who have chosen not to acknowledge the day as a Public Holiday face.
Many organisations believe that the financial impact of allowing employees to take the day off for the Royal Wedding may be detrimental to their organisation. In fact, the CBI has estimated that the additional cost of an extra Public Holiday is likely to cost the British economy approximately £6 million in lost productivity. This is particularly the case as the 29th April lies between 3 other Public Holidays in 11 days.
If organisations make the decision not to allow their employees to take the day off work then they need to be prepared to justify their reasons behind this. It is likely that many employees faced with this decision will be disappointed that they are unable to spend the day celebrating with friends and family watching the Royal Wedding.
In these circumstances, it may be a good idea for employers to put extra facilities in place to ensure their employees are engaged on the 29th. This may include work breaks during the ceremony and television facilities to allow employees to watch the event at work.
The impact that organisations may face by not following this advice may include a loss of employee good will and engagement, increased sickness absence rates, an industrial relations strife and an increased number of complaints.
Employees are likely to feel discontented in these circumstances and therefore this decision made by employers needs to be thoroughly thought out and justified.
After all, the benefits of keeping employees in work on the 29th April may not outweigh the backlash that many organisations may feel as a result of this decision.