HR says World Cup is no threat

Almost
90 per cent of HR directors think the World Cup will have no impact on
absenteeism, even though most employees intend to watch games during working
hours, research finds.

The
survey of 100 HR directors from FTSE 500 companies by Deloitte & Touche
also finds that more than three-quarters do not have employee policies for
watching the tournament.

The
research, which included responses from more than 500 employees, reveals that
64 per cent of staff are planning to watch games broadcasted during work hours.
Nearly a third planning to watch games will do so illicitly and nearly one in
10 plan to call in sick.

More
than 90 per cent of HR directors surveyed said they would not allow employees
to return to work after drinking.

Jon
Clark, human capital consultant at Deloitte & Touche, said: "It is
worrying so few HR directors have established a formal policy to manage the
demand to watch the World Cup tournament.

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"If
one employee in 10 calls in sick it could cause severe disruption to
business."

Of those organisations which do have a clear World Cup
policy, more than a quarter plan to allow employees to follow the action during
work time.