Melbourne Cup Day

The Melbourne Cup Day is held annually in Australia at 3pm on the 1st Tuesday in November. Also known as the race that stops the nation it can also divide it. Over the past decade, viewership of the race has steadily decreased and although still very popular, its popularity is waning.  

A well-run Melbourne Cup event can be an amazing winner for your business, but keep in mind that it is not for everyone and feel comfortable to opt out if needed. 

 Here’s some tips to make sure it runs smoothly. 

• Think about and make the decision if you want to acknowledge or celebrate the Melbourne Cup within your business.  

• Remember there are lots of industries were taking time out for The Race is just impossible. Hospitality, Manufacturing, Building and Construction etc. If your business is not able to celebrate the cup, communicate it clearly to the team so that there is a clear understanding of why. The team will understand but communication is really important. 

• Be aware of your team and sensitive to the personal, cultural or religious beliefs of team members. Team members may opt out of the activities for a wide range of reasons, including religious prohibitions, concerns about animal cruelty, being introverted and not enjoying the loud noisy environment, gambling or alcohol addiction. As employers we strive to create inclusive events, but we need to ensure that people are not pressured in anyway, or negatively affected.  

• Some employees may find that a Melbourne Cup afternoon is not enough time to celebrate and so may be inclined to take more time off the following day for a range of reasons. Make sure you are following up on the leave and if you don’t already have it in place, it’s time to write a leave policy. We can help you with that if you have any questions. 

• If you are providing an event, ensure you provide a start time and a finish time for the official workplace event so that the team know what is expected of them or wording similar to “team may finish work and leave the office early after the race”. Communicating this clearly may be critical because events that occur outside the work function can still be an employer’s responsibility such as workplace injuries and harassment claims.  

• It’s also a good idea to be clear and transparent about your businesses drug and alcohol policies and set out standards and expectations before, during, and after these events. If people are planning to drive, use any equipment post event, or perhaps write complicated code, make sure they are safe and able to do so.  

• If anyone in your team would like support to deal with gambling addiction you should provide support through your EAP or you can ask them to follow this link to find local support in their area – https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/local-support-services  

If your business is opting out for whatever reason, we still appreciate your time in reading our blog. With other festivities such as Thanksgiving (for our US based clients) and Christmas just around the corner, we are sure this information will be valuable for them as well.  

For more information and your obligation free consultation, contact us by clicking the button below and our Impact HR experts will be here to help you!