World Cup: keeping sickies down and engagement up

With the impending World Cup now only a matter of days away, businesses have been worried that employee engagement, productivity and attendance will be affected. Preparing to deal with the fallout by having stricter rules and threats for those pulling ‘sickies’ is the strategy at the moment, but what if you were to incentivise coming to work instead?

If people don’t feel like they’re missing out, and, for this short time, they are given more privileges than usual in the working day, then coming to work won’t be a chore, and effort and morale won’t be affected! Here are some of our ideas on how to celebrate the World Cup without disrupting business.

1. Why not decorate your break out areas, as a team. Stick up flags, inflatable hands, clappers etc., before the tournament starts. This will get everyone excited and, although it only takes 15 minutes out of your working day, it will encourage the team to be involved and have a little fun away from their desk. If you are in a shared office or a business centre, why not all get involved? It’ll be a great chance to network and meet your office neighbours.
2. Most of the matches are on in the evening, but why not order in a takeaway lunch for the team if England wins a match? This will encourage your team to come in to work the day after the match, stopping them from drinking a bit too much, with the intention of pulling a sickie or coming in with a hangover… which is never productive!
3. We’ve just been handing out our sweepstake countries (I got Ivory Coast… wish me luck!) but why not get the team to come in dressed as their sweepstake country on the day of the final? If you are feeling philanthropic, get everyone to bring in a small donation which can go to charity for dressing up.
4. Most companies who work 9-6 allow their team members to have a morning and afternoon break, as well as a lunch break. Why not extend the break times a little, but don’t let people take advantage. By offering this leeway for a couple of weeks, people will work hard and look forward to their break.
5. Why not arrange, after work, for the team to go to the local pub together to watch a match (if it’s at a reasonable time). This will keep morale high in the office and give the team a chance to bond outside of working hours. Embracing the World Cup is a great way to show your team members that your company values their work and rewards them for it, in international events like this.

But, one thing to be aware of is that not everyone is interested in the World Cup. There will be people who don’t care and just want to get on with their work. It would be unfair not to give them extra privileges too, so be sure to offer them longer breaks, too, and include them in team events.

Why not give these ideas a try and see how your team reacts. By giving them the opportunity to have a bit more freedom at work, they’ll show more respect and dedication to their work over the football festival, and, hopefully, moving forward! Do you have any more World Cup themed office activities? Why not comment below and let us know!