How to combat staff football fever

With the World Cup beginning today there is a fever in the air.

Literally. Retailers will not only be bracing themselves for sales increases in the football must haves, but also preparing for one of the more unpleasant side effects of the World Cup - a month of exaggerated excuses as World Cup absenteeism spreads like the flu.

Retailers would be naive to think they are immune from it - whether through a desire to watch the game at home or post-celebration/commiserating hangovers - staff absenteeism during World Cup month is an inherent problem.

At Asda, the retailer is giving each of its colleagues the opportunity to take extra time off as unpaid leave - a ‘Safari sabbatical’- if they want to make the trip to South Africa to watch the World Cup in person as well as accommodating requests closer to home. “Stores will also be running shift swapping schemes, allowing extended breaks and fielding requests for odd days off so colleagues are able to watch certain matches,” says a spokeswoman.

And it seems the tactic works. “Our flexible approach has meant that during previous tournaments, such as Euro 2008 and the last World Cup in 2006, our stores saw absolutely no increase in absenteeism among colleagues,” she says.

A similar approach is being taken at Tesco. “Tesco operates a flexible working policy for its staff and will continue to do so throughout the World Cup,” says a spokesman. “Where requests are made for flexible working, we will do our best to accommodate them. Shift swaps, shift changes, split shifts and flexibility with breaks will all be available to our staff, so that those who wish to can enjoy the key games.”

Although the World Cup may seem like a big event, John Lewis points out it is just another date in the calendar. “There are big sporting events taking place all the time, from Wimbledon to the Olympic Games to the World Cup. Just as our customers have different interests so do our partners and we have flexible working opportunities so that partners interested in seeing an event can request to swap a shift,” says a spokeswoman.

For those who are at work but still want to keep up with the action, many retailers - including Tesco, Asda and John Lewis - will be showing games in staff restaurants and other behind-the-scenes areas and most will also be tuning in sets for sale on the shop floor too.

At Currys, staff will be getting into the game on the shopfloor.

“We roster our colleagues four weeks in advance and as such we ensure we are fair with our footy enthusiasts,” says DSGi central operations director UK John Nelson.

The retailer will also be encouraging central and local events with a World Cup feel. “Don’t be surprised to see our colleagues in the shirts of their favourite teams right throughout the tournament,” Nelson concludes.