The World Cup, the football tournament dubbed “the greatest show on earth”, is back.
Companies already expect productivity to be affected by the month-long football bonanza as workers are likely to suffer from prolonged sleep deprivation due to the timing of the matches; the 12 hour difference between Malaysia and Brazil, the host country of the tournament’s 20th edition, means most of the 64 games will be played at 1am, 4am and 7am local time.
According to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), a survey held for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups showed that more than 55 per cent of respondents indicated high absenteeism or productivity loss during the two tournaments
The same is expected to happen for the next month. “Yes, to a certain extent (productivity at the workplace will be affected),” MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan told The Malay Mail Online.
“Fans who are mostly employees (there are about 6.5 million working in the private sector) that would love to watch all the matches live and as such for about one month… football fans will be having insufficient sleep and come to work with heavy eyes and less energetic,” he added.
For the last World Cup, hosted by South Africa for the first time in the game’s history, a MEF survey found that 35.6 per cent of respondents reported more cases of employees arriving late while 35 per cent saw an increase in sick leave.
It further revealed that 25.4 per cent of companies complained of increased absenteeism while 20 per cent said they recorded lower productivity.
There were also grouses of other “World Cup-related problems”, such as workers caught abandoning work to watch the matches or sleeping on the job.
And of those who took sick leave during the 2010 tournament, which had the matches aired much earlier than those in next week’s Shamsuddin said he suspected the reasons were most likely concocted.
“In some cases employees will be absent from work altogether either through MCs (medical certificates) or some other made up reasons.”
While the Malaysian Medical Association said there is no data to support the view that the number of MCs issued will spike up during the World Cup, president Dr. H Krishna Kumar reported anecdotal evidence of the phenomenon.
“I have had personal experiences where my friends tell me of these things,” he told The Malay Mail Online.
Krishna said that lower productivity is inevitable during the tournament as workers suffer from prolonged lack of sleep as they try to catch all the matches at the expense of a good night’s rest.
“If the matches are late then there will be a change of body rhythm and this will result in the lack of sleep and the body won’t function too well. Workers tend to be less efficient and make more mistakes”.
In light of possible setbacks to businesses during the World Cup, the MEF has urged workers to plan their schedules by prioritising the matches to watch live and catching the rest on replays such as those available via pay-TV operator Astro.
“Employees should be advised to be selective of the matches that they should watch live, preferably over the weekends and the rest of the matches be recorded.
The employers are not to be expected to compromise their need and requirement with or without the World Cup 2014,” Shamsuddin said.
While most employers are set to be hit by World Cup, there is at least one industry that is rejoicing.
Entertainment outlets like sports bars and pubs are already driving up World Cup promotions of cheaper drinks and extended operating hours in a bid to lure fans away from their ultra high definition television sets at home.
One popular drinking hole here, Souled Out, said they registered record sales and turnouts for the past three World Cups.
In 2010, they saw 30,000 customers walking through their doors. And they are predicting more this time around.
“Yes we are expecting a spike in arrivals,” operations manager Nadia Amin told The Malay Mail Online.
Nadia said Souled Out, which has three outlets in the Klang Valley area, will be extending its hours to cover all matches with attractive promotions that include an ad hoc partnership with taxi company Uber to provide shuttle services for those planning for a “serious night out”.
Another indicator that fans are likely to stay up late and watch the matches outside their homes is the growing sales in official team merchandise.
TFC Sports Sdn Bhd, a retailer that specialises in football paraphernalia, said its sales of replica national team jerseys have shot up by 30 per cent while competitor Al-Ikhsan Sports saw revenue jumped by 40 per cent.
“I had to restock the Germany jerseys three times already. That’s the best selling piece for us. And also Italy but mostly for the design,” C.K. Au Yong, the manager of TFC’s Pertama Outlet Complex outlet, told The Malay Mail Online.
Germany, a three-time World Cup winner and back-to-back semi-finalist in the last two tournaments, is among the favourites to win in Brazil this year.
“Most people buy the jerseys to be seen in their favourite team’s kit. They are definitely going to watch the matches outside with their friends,” he added.
Some fans interviewed by The Malay Mail Online agreed with the MEF in that work should not be compromised by the tournament, but most said employers should show leniency since the “greatest show on earth” comes only once in four years.
“To some people football is like a cult or religion and the World Cup only happens once every four years.
If they are going to stay anyway, why not let them rest more so they will be more productive,” Sam Lum, who works in brand development and who supports the Argentinian national team, said.
Another ardent football fan and local bank worker, Johan Ariff,35, echoed the view.
“The World Cup is not just a game, it is the greatest game on earth. It brings us all together. So lets celebrate it and relax for a bit,” said the England supporter.
Source : http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/offside-absenteeism-set-to-rise-productivity-to-fall-during-world-cup#sthash.z4dpFmT0.dpuf
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