TEN MILLION TO FACE WORK WITHOUT WORLD CUP TELLY
Added: (Sun May 26 2002)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
NEWS for Monday 27 May, 2002
TEN MILLION FACE WORK WITHOUT
WORLD CUP TELLY
(For further information, Dirk Singer 07961 185 585 or Dave Ward 07967 602 655)
Ten million Britons will have to work through key England and Ireland World Cup matches without being allowed by their bosses to watch the games on telly. According to research published today by online recruiter Fish4jobs, the result could be the biggest sickie in history!
Fish4job’s research shows that only 19% of UK workers have flexitime arrangements in place allowing them to take time off work to watch the World Cup. Just over half (55%) of UK companies will allow staff to watch matches at work , another 12% of workers will listen to the World Cup on the radio and another 5% intend to work from home.
That leaves 32% of workers - equivalent to 9.5 million people - who say no provision at work has been made for them to follow matches. While only 14% are currently thinking about calling in sick to watch key World Cup games, the fact that 77% of workers think it is acceptable to take time off at the World Cup is a cause for concern for unprepared employers. The attitude that ‘it only happens once every four years’ so we might as well call in sick, may result in phones ringing off the hook up and down the country come 7 June, when England plays Argentina.
If England make it through to the quarter and semi finals the problem is expected to become even worse, with 80% of workers saying that they haven’t yet decided about what they will do in the later rounds of the tournament.
However, the news isn’t all bad for bosses and an enlightened World Cup policy with flexible working hours should work in an employer’s favour.
A majority of 65% percent of UK workers polled by Fish4jobs say that good results for England will raise workplace morale leading to better productivity, while 80% say that England and Ireland’s participation in the World Cup is good for the economy.
According to Jonathan Turpin, CEO of Fish4jobs, “Many employers recognise the World Cup is an opportunity to create a ‘feel good’ factor within the workplace. Our study reveals employers providing flexible-working arrangements for staff and opportunities to watch the games on TV are less likely to experience unauthorised absenteeism over the World Cup.
“The hospitality and retail sectors are expecting to see an increase in trade with special pub breakfast screenings and World Cup merchandise sales, but if England do well in the tournament, the feel good factor should give a positive morale boost to workers in all industries across the UK.”
For people looking for a job that leaves them free to watch the World Cup in the mornings, Fish4jobs has published a list of top ten World Cup jobs. [See attached sheet.]
ENDS
More information from:
Dave Ward Dirk Singer
Fish4jobs.co.uk Cow PR
Tel: 020 8600 7065 Tel: 07961 185 585
07967 602 655 020 7360 6061
email: dave.ward@fish4.co.uk email: dirk.singer@cowpr.com
Notes to editors
Fish4’s World Cup policy
Fish4 is planning special World Cup “big screen events” for its staff at their offices to ensure all staff have access to the games and will not have to miss out on the key World Cup matches for England.
England match fixtures
England’s match against Argentina takes place on Friday 7 June at 12:30. England play Nigeria on Wednesday 12 June at 07:30. If England wins Group F the second round match will take place on Sunday 16 June, the quarter final on Saturday 22 June and the semi-final on Wednesday 26 June (12:30).
However if England comes second, the second round match will take place on Saturday 15 June. Both the quarter final (Friday 21 June, 07:30) and the semi final matches (Wednesday 26 June, 12:30) will take place on work days.
About Fish4jobs
GET TO WATCH THE WORLD CUP JOBS FROM FISH4JOBS
Job Details
1) Casino Croupier Unlike a lot of night jobs, the benefits of working as a croupier include possibilities for advancement, good pay as you move up the ‘ranks’, and interesting work
2) Hotel porter / night receptionist If you work in a smaller hotel there won’t be too many people to let in and you can spend time watching match repeats on TV
3) Far East city trader Trade with the Hong Kong and Tokyo stock markets and then relax to watch the games after a long day trading with Japanese clients
4) Waiter Just make sure you apply for evening work in a restaurant. In a hotel you will have to serve guests breakfast
5) Accountant / auditor Auditing accounts is not, strictly speaking, one of those things that has to be done during the day (other jobs that lend themselves to flexitime include computer programming and graphic design work)
6) Call centre manager Many large organisations, for example the large airlines and mobile phone companies, have customer service reps on call 24 hours a day. A great opportunity to develop your communication skills and for career advancement.
7) Cinema attendant With most cinemas not showing their first films until 2-3pm you could watch a match in the morning and head off to work afterwards
8) Night-club bouncer / doorman Though with plenty of fans planning to party all night before watching the games early the next morning, there will be plenty to keep you busy
9) Researcher Get a job with a TV production company and ensure you work from home when the games are on. So long as the work gets done, you should be okay to watch the World Cup games.
10) Pub manager / barman The perfect World Cup job: Get paid and watch the matches at the same time!