This Just In…

Before the World Cup kicked off, we surveyed LogMeIn users from the UK, Netherlands, Spain and France to find out where people planned to watch World Cup games, especially those that overlap with traditional office hours.

The survey respondents indicated that:

• 43% of employees planned to be out of the office to watch games that occur during business hours
• 47% of business managers expected the World Cup to impact productivity
• 33% of business managers expected unanticipated absenteeism to increase by 10% or more

On June 14, the first World Cup match during working hours took place between The Netherlands and Denmark and these stats were put to the test.

According to GfK Intomart, approximately 1,6 million people watched the match at work. And nearly 3,5 million people total watched the match outside of the home – at work, in a café, even at schools. Home viewers made up the rest of the 9 million people who watched the match that day – just in the Netherlands alone!

So, how can businesses cope with raging World Cup fever?

Seth Shaw, VP of Sales and Marketing at LogMeIn EMEA commented: “World Cup fever is infectious, with loyal fans determined to root for their teams whether inside or outside business hours. Obviously, this can result in unexpected absenteeism when games overlap with work time. Having a plan in place can level the playing field.”

Some tips businesses can use to keep productivity levels high in the coming weeks include:

1. Implement a remote working policy: Remote working allows staff to remain productive out of the office. Even better, research indicates that remote workers actually put in longer hours, so the investment is likely to pay off many times over. The rise in smartphones, tablets and notebooks has made it even easier for employees to be productive anywhere at any time.
2. Flexible working hours: This can be a great way to win more goodwill from staff. Allowing employees to work around the two hours they need to watch a game will keep them productive during the rest of the day.
3. Offer perks: If staff must be in the office, why not offer perks that may make them choose to say in the office? This could be anything from an extra half-day holiday, to a good meal in a restaurant for all those who come into work. Those who aren’t interested in football will also appreciate the reward for covering for absent colleagues.
4. Watch the games in the office: Allowing employees to watch the games online, or on a screen in the office, can create a great atmosphere at work and keep staff motivated to come in.

Surveys and stats are great, but we want to hear from you. Are you planning to watch games outside of the office during office hours? If so, how will you do this? What tools enable you to be in two places at once?

Leave your comment below, and share your best tips for keeping productivity high in the comments section below – we reserve the right to reward the best ideas and tips!