The 2016 European Football Championships has started. With 51 matches being played in France over the course of a month, employees will be keen to take in as much of the action as possible, even whilst at work. 

The global audience this year is expected to surpass eight billion viewers. Fans from all around the world will follow the progress of 24 teams as they vye for footballing glory in France. ACAS, an organisation devoted to preventing and resolving employment disputes, has urged employees to be flexible and let staff watch matches throughout the tournament.

How can organisations prevent putting employees offside? Boost the morale of your workers and experience the joy of the tournament through video conferencing!

Videoconferencing can play a key role in employee engagement. It can help: Increase team cohesion. Employers can use sporting events such as Euro 2016 to boost the morale of staff by screening key matches in the workplace and allowing employees to watch games together during office hours. For organisations that have a multi-office presence, sporting moments shared via videoconferencing are an effective way to break down geographical barriers and unite a workforce. Through the power of videoconferencing, employees have the ability to connect directly with colleagues from other offices and share the most memorable moments of the tournament. Videoconferencing can help create a cohesive culture with employees all around the world.

Give more responsibility to employees. Videoconferencing can also be viewed as a way to improve management communications. The technology offers a way to strengthen relationships beyond the use of telephone calls and e-mail messages. To not risk falling behind in their work, employees should liaise with managers to reschedule their work timetable. For managers or workers that are off-site, this is where videoconferencing comes into play. Managers and teams can together agree upon a clear timetable with deadlines or goals to achieve during this period. Employees who are afforded a break from work to watch a match, should use their own initiative to make up lost time.