Union leaders are calling on employers to let staff work from home on Monday, after England’s World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico kicks off at 1am BST.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has appealed to businesses to show “common sense” and allow football fans to work flexibly following the match, whether by working from home, starting later or swapping shifts.
Paul Nowak, the TUC general secretary and a self-confessed England and Everton fan, admitted the scheduling was far from ideal for supporters. “That’s why we are appealing to employers to show some common sense and understanding by allowing their staff to work flexibly where possible,” he said.
The plea comes as separate research suggests more than half of bosses have no plans to make any special arrangements for the fixture. Just one in five employers intend to offer flexible working during the tournament, according to a poll of more than 1,100 managers by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), a striking gap given the £3.8bn windfall the World Cup is expected to deliver for British business.
Petra Wilton of the CMI said: “We’re not saying every England win deserves a bank holiday, but if millions of people have stayed up until 3am supporting their team, asking employers to let them start a little later the next morning is simply common sense. We’re saying to employers across the country, ‘Let them start late.’”
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