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The 2014 football World Cup is likely to hit productivity of employees across the Middle East, according to a survey.
Although none of the GCC countries have qualified for the tournament, according to the survey by online recruitment firm GulfTalent, 89 per cent of employees in the region plan to watch at least some of the games.
The tournament, starts tomorrow night in Brazil and runs until July 13, and will be aired live on TV each day between 7pm to 3am in Bahrain.
GulfTalent’s survey asked employees across the Middle East how they plan to balance the watching of late night games with their work commitments the next day.
About one in ten said that they would go to work late in order to catch up on sleep, while a similar number will take a day of annual leave after watching late night matches. Three per cent would report sick so they do not have to go to work. About one-third of respondents said that they will cut on their sleep to make it to work on time.
When comparing among different job categories, IT professionals were found more likely than others to come to work late or call in sick following a late night match. HR professionals in comparison were the most likely to take a day of annual leave, while marketing professionals were more likely to simply cut on their sleep and come to work tired.
Some survey participants noted that the second half of the tournament will coincide with Ramadan, when many employees in the Middle East work reduced hours, allowing them to sleep after work and be up in time for the games.
Some employers expressed concern about the potential drop in productivity resulting from the games. One manager from an oil and gas company commented: “I have 50 employees in my team. Most of them are football fans and this will really affect our productivity this month.”
Others were more relaxed or even optimistic about the impact of the games.
The survey found that managers who were themselves inclined to watch the games were more likely to give flexibility to their team to watch them. Some managers said that they plan to use the World Cup as an opportunity for team building.
