After England’s initial victory in the World Coup group stages, it’s become clear that football fever is set to overtake the country for a little longer yet. Although a fun event, it can lead to a decline in productivity. But is there a middle ground which satisfies all parties?

 

As happens every four years, World Cup fever has reached every corner of the country – from pubs and corporate promotions, to sweepstakes and office conversation. Beyond the joviality and patriotism, however, the World Cup can also bring with it a sizeable challenge for employers: keeping their teams focused and productive without robbing them of the World Cup experience.

This is a particularly poignant topic to address in the wake of England’s win against Tunisia, as the team enjoys an early victory in the tournament – and excitement grows at England’s chances. So, how can we make sure to not score an own goal with our workplace approach to the beautiful game?

 

Communicate Clear Expectations

Communication is the cornerstone of organisational harmony, and similarly to the festive season, it’s essential to communicate your expectations during the World Cup. Granted, it’ll likely dominate conversation in the office over the next few weeks, but putting these parameters in place early on will help employees to crystalize their focus.

These expectations should include the very clear-cut directive that work still comes first in the workplace – that’s not to say that a little fun can’t be had, but projects must be completed and clients kept happy as a priority.  

 

Provide Them with Tools

Productivity in the UK is, unfortunately, an issue regardless of whatever sporting event is taking over the headlines. Recent studies have shown that the country’s productivity problem is almost twice as bad as the other G7 nations. Armed with this knowledge, the World Cup could be the perfect opportunity to consider how different tools and resources could help streamline your team in the long run.

Bespoke software solutions, automation and AI, for example, are all innovations which seek to improve upon productivity, and could minimise the impact events such as holidays, sporting events, political rumblings and royal weddings have on businesses.

 

Offer Flexibility and Remote Working

Remote working has become a universally accepted way of tapping into more talent and offering employees a more flexible approach to how they do their jobs. But in circumstances such as these, remote working can also offer something else: the opportunity to compromise.

Rather than allowing employees to simply miss work in order to watch a match in the daytime, employers can compromise by letting members of their team work from home, or work flexibly to make up for time lost due to the World Cup.

This option requires a great deal of trust between yourself and your employees, but can be the secret weapon which ensures work gets done and employees are happy. This also works in reverse for members of the team who aren’t the least bit interested in the World Cup – they can opt to work elsewhere if the match is being shown in the office, for example, and can take responsibility for their concentration being uninterrupted.

 

Go with the Flow

I’ve drawn quite a few parallels to the likes of Christmas in this article, but the comparison is unavoidable for one particular reason: you have to show a little discretionary leeway when such an all-encompassing event is upon us. Like it or not, the World Cup will be trending for some time yet – especially if England progress through the various stages.

As such, it pays to not be entirely resistant to accommodating the World Cup, in the interests of keeping your employees happy and satisfied. They will likely appreciate the gesture and continue to be productive even during the most exciting moments. In addition, creating a World Cup office-based activity allows for an organised outlet for their excitement, helping you to manage football fever more closely.

In short, it’s an exciting time and it’s unsurprising that many casual and die-hard football fans (or just those with a good sweepstakes pick) are excitable, and that productivity can suffer as a result. Managing the situation, rather than trying to completely shun any mention of football, however, is the best solution to keep your business running smoothly, and make sure your team come out as winners.

 

Looking for the perfect bespoke software solution to aid your team’s productivity? Find out about Kaleida’s services on our website, or get in touch to talk to a member of our team directly.