How Much Will The World Cup Cost Businesses?

It is expected that the World Cup will cost British businesses more than £2bn due to staff wasting time and taking sick days.

Almost one million workers have said they would fake illness to watch the major football tournament, costing employers more than £99m in lost hours.

Workers having an eye on social media while in the office will also contribute to lost working hours.

The World Cup will no doubt dominate much conversation across the office but it is important to make sure the impact on productivity is minimised without having a negative effect on team moral.

There are several ways to combat this and we would recommend that when any major sporting event is occurring, for example, World Cups, The Ryder Cup or the Olympics, you have a Time Off For Sporting Events Policy, which should include the following procedures:

Being too strict with your staff could make them more likely to commit the workplace offences, therefore a good compromise maybe to look at alternatives such as setting up a TV in the canteen/rest area, allowing staff to watch the events during their lunch breaks, or alternatively have the radio on in the background.

Every working environment is different and its a case of assessing what the impact could be to your business and if a compromise would be a sensible approach

Lets hope England progress through their group stages and go all the way as 1966 is now a distant memory!