Employers and HR departments need to start developing and communicating their plans for the football World Cup. Lindsay Grieve offers ten tips for managing ‘World Cup fever’.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in June, when 32 nations will compete in South Africa for football’s greatest prize. For fans of the ‘beautiful game’, this is an exciting and long-awaited prospect but inevitably we’ll soon see a host of scaremongering stories in the media about how much the World Cup will cost the UK in terms of unauthorised absence and lost productivity.
The typical concerns are that employees will call in sick – to watch a match or because they’re recovering from the night before – and that discussing games and checking scores will distract them from their work. However, there’s another side to this. If handled well, this summer’s tournament is actually a golden opportunity for organisations to boost the morale of their employees.
Tales from the 2006 World Cup
In the run-up to the 2006 World Cup, several organisations achieved positive media coverage by introducing initiatives which showed that they valued their employees.
For example, the BBC screened all of the World Cup games online so that office workers could keep in touch with the action live from their desks. Asda offered staff up to two weeks’ unpaid World Cup leave and also introduced shift-swapping and extended breaks. Tesco allowed employees to take time off, swap shifts and take shift breaks to watch the matches. It also brought TV screens into canteens across its stores, distribution centres and head office.
Frozen food manufacturer Tryton Foods removed the cap on the number of employees it allowed to be off at the same time. Credit card company Capital One showed every match in its offices and call centres and ran competitions, giving away prizes including a football signed by England legend Bobby Charlton.
Although no subsequent evidence was published after the event, I would imagine that the creative approach –and willingness to compromise – adopted by these organisations paid dividends in terms of improving staff loyalty and enthusiasm.
Top tips
So, what lessons can organisations learn as they prepare for this summer’s tournament? My top ten tips to help organisations manage World Cup fever are:
1. Send a memo to all employees explaining your plans and expectations. Remind them how they can request time off to watch key matches.
2. Implement flexible working practices, so employees can make up the time to watch their preferred games. Allow shift-working employees to swap shifts.
3. Consider temporarily relaxing your rules. Remove any caps on the number of employees allowed to be off at the same time.
4. Allow employees to watch key matches on television in the canteen or another communal area. Play a radio with match commentary or transmit matches over your PA system to employees on the shop floor.
5. Encourage managers to talk openly with staff in advance about the measures being undertaken to allow people to watch matches.
6. Remember, with the UK’s multi-racial workforce, employees may be following other nations. Allow them the same flexibility as you allow England supporters.
7. Encourage employees to bring in flags and banners for their teams and, on match days, consider allowing employees to wear their team’s shirt.
8. Remember that not everyone will be caught up in World Cup fever. Consider setting up ‘football-free’ areas. Ensure that any temporary changes to working practices apply to the entire workforce.
9. Do explain how any unauthorised absences will be dealt with. Highlight the key points of your absence procedure, who to ring, when to ring and sick pay entitlement. Make it clear that if an employees’ sickness links directly to the football fixtures, an investigation may take place and they may be asked to provide a medical certificate to support their absence.
10. Be as flexible as possible in accommodating enthusiasm for the World Cup. Remember, sporting events can bring social and financial benefits to the workplace, forging bonds and bridging gaps between colleagues.
Essential facts
The World Cup starts on 11 June 2010. England’s Group C matches are against: USA at 19.30 on Saturday 12 June; Algeria at 19.30 on Friday 18 June and Slovenia at 15.00 on Wednesday 23 June.
These group stage fixtures shouldn’t cause too many problems for England supporters, as only one of the three matches will be played during the hours of the normal working day. However, by having the right procedures in place, organisations will be able to equip themselves for the entire tournament.
Football euphoria will certainly spread to a national fever if England do manage to progress to the later stages of the tournament. It will reach epidemic proportions if the team actually reaches the final.
Any ‘sports-loathers’ who are sceptical about whether or not it matters that 11 Englishmen kick a ball into a goal, more times than any team they play against, should consider one final point. If previous England football, cricket and rugby victories are anything to go by, a successful run in the World Cup by the national team could provide a welcome boost to the UK economy.
The dates and times of the 2010 World Cup group stage fixtures are available at: www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches
Editor’s note
See also some research based on a poll of 1000 workers from PWC and Opium Research. This indicates around that two in five workers will watch 2010 World Cup matches screened in office hours.
www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/News-Releases/Two-in-five-workers-will-watch-2010-World-Cup-matches-screened-in-office-hours-e47.aspx