- UK faces massive cost of daytime match as 65% of employees banned
from watching final group game - Anticipated ‘sick days’ to reach 1.5 million during World Cup
As the England team battled it out in their final group stage match against Slovenia , after what has been described as a woeful start to their World Cup campaign, British businesses back home have another battle brewing: what to do about the “skiving sickies”.
The match was England’s first daytime weekday game and England’s last chance to secure a place in the second round, meaning an anticipated surge in people taking a ‘sick day’ to watch the team fight to regain some credibility after days of speculation about team performance and management disharmony..
The surge in sick days could be the start of many, with more than five per cent (5.2%) of workers claiming to take sick days to watch key matches during the World Cup, according to new research by recruiters Badenoch & Clark.
With approximately 28.86 million* people currently employed in the UK, this could mean up to 1,499,160 sick days during the World Cup season this summer, With the weekly average pay of £97.80p, that’s a total cost to Britain of £147million.**
The research found that almost two thirds (65.8%) of employees will not be allowed to watch important matches during the World Cup, with 11 per cent of those surveyed believing that this will affect staff morale.
More than a quarter of respondents will not be allowed flexible working hours during the World Cup, despite nearly half (43 per cent) of respondents rating flexible working as the most important factor in keeping them in their current job.
Andy Powell, director at Badenoch & Clark, said: “Not allowing staff time off or flexible working hours to watch key matches during the World Cup will pose a real business risk for companies around the UK.
“Although employers cannot be expected to give time off in addition to annual leave entitlement, some flexible working allowance during the World Cup period could be a welcome reward after a tough year and really help to boost employee morale.”
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