Chamber of Labor advises

What you are allowed to do at the World Ski Championships while cheering at work

On Tuesday, it's back to the World Championships in Saalbach

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The World Ski Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm start on Tuesday. All competitions will take place around lunchtime. Despite all the enthusiasm and all the fingers crossed for our ski aces, employees should always remember that they risk losing their job if they watch TV or drink alcohol during working hours without their employer's permission, warns the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor. 

If you want to watch a ski race with your colleagues during working hours, you should clarify with your boss beforehand what is allowed and what is not. "This way, conflicts or even consequences under labor law can be avoided," says AK President Andreas Stangl. 

The AK advises:

• If you want to follow the races during working hours, you should clarify the procedure in the company in advance in order to find a solution that is okay for everyone and does not affect the working atmosphere or work performance.
• In most jobs, watching television at work is not permitted. If you want to watch ski races at work, you must clarify this with your line manager beforehand. "So don't watch the races secretly in the office behind your boss's back, especially not if it affects your work performance," says the AK President.

• If the TV is generally on during working hours, such as in pubs or betting shops, no additional consent needs to be obtained. Problems only arise here if the required work performance is not achieved or only achieved to a limited extent due to the distraction caused by the ski race.

• If private use of the internet is permitted during working hours, employees may access the results online. However, following an entire race in a livestream is problematic, as it is hardly possible to perform work to the full extent. In addition, the server performance could reach its limits.
• Anyone who wants to take leave to travel to Saalbach or watch the World Championships at home in front of the TV must agree this with their employer. Unilateral vacation is not permitted.
• There are no exceptions to generally applicable agreements regarding alcohol consumption: if there is a ban on alcohol at work, this ban also applies during sporting events.