Russian Soccer Fans Will Play Truant to Watch World Cup Matches
MOSNEWS (Russia), 15 June 2006
25 percent of Russian soccer fans admitted to pollsters in the run-up to the World Cup that they were set to leave their work desks earlier than usual so as not to be late for television broadcasts from Germany. 4 percent said they would call in sick and remain at home, while another 5 percent said they would take days off, a survey held by a human resources web portal EuropeTalent.com has revealed.
If Russia had qualified for the finals, the Vedomosti daily newspaper suggested, the situation would have been different.
“You have to respect the wishes of your employees if you want them to stay loyal to you,” notes Ruslan Nikiforov, partner at AMT Consulting Group. Nikiforov says he has allowed his subordinates to watch TV, listen to radio reports from German football arenas and check related news reports on the web.
To prevent their staff from skipping work, many companies, including Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase, had television screens installed on the premises. InFocus installed large monitors in halls and elevators. Executives hope that broadcasts will not reflect on their subordinates’ performance.
