Bosses risk £1,000 fine for letting workers watch Cheltenham Festival in office
Horse racing fans beware, you could face more than losing out on a poorly placed bet if you're caught watching the Cheltenham races without following this one rule.
The famous horse racing spectacle kicks off this tomorrow (11 March) and lasts all the way until Friday (14 March), seeing aficionados suited, booted and ready to splash the cash on which jockey they believe has the best chances of winning.
For those not doffing their finest outfits and making the journey to the racecourse, Cheltenham festival will also be broadcast live on ITV from 12:45 to 5pm each day.
For most of us, that means the races will be taking place slap bang in the middle of our working week, which means many will be considering tuning in from the office to stay up to date on the action.
Advert
But if this sounds like you then you may want to double check the TV licence situation at your premises — or risk landing yourself with a £1,000 fine. This includes watching live TV on either on-demand services or streaming.
Now, I know the ins and outs of TV licences aren't the most riveting of subject to discuss, but a slap on the wrist to the tune of a grand would put a dampener of even the brightest of days. Add that to funds lost from any ill-placed bets and you'll definitely want to pay attention.
The warning comes courtesy of Office Freedom, who recently revealed that businesses which operate in co-working spaces may not be covered with a single TV licence. Which means it's the duty of each individual company to make sure they have the correct licensing in place.
"With racing taking place through afternoons, we can imagine many businesses will be eager to allow staff to tune in to watch the action while they are at work," a spokesperson for Office Freedom said of the topic.
Revealing that around 1 in 4 (25.7%) people currently work in an office which is part of a broader co-working space, the spokesperson added: "But with so many now operating in shared office spaces - accommodating around a quarter of workers in the UK, according to survey research - it is important for companies to check if they have a valid TV licence in place.
"The onus is on individual companies operating in a co-working office to have a licence which covers the company, as existing TV licences in shared office spaces will only cover communal areas.
READ MORE
NETFLIX USERS COULD HAVE TO PAY BBC LICENCE FEE EVERY YEAR
"For companies currently leasing a shared office space, we’d urge them to check their TV licence as we would hate for anyone to get caught out just for allowing staff to enjoy the festival of racing ahead."
The more you know.
Brenna Cooper