More than third will watch World Cup in office, says poll

Two in five office workers say they will not be stopped from watching World Cup football matches during office hours.

A PricewaterhouseCoopers poll found that 53% of working men and 21% of women intend to watch games broadcast from South Africa this summer live during office hours.

Employers may face a battle on Wednesday 23 June, as England play their final group game against Slovenia at 3pm.

Overall, 39% of staff said they would not let work get in the way of the football.

Fourteen per cent will be watching at work with permission from their employer, but 5% intend to watch on the sly or by calling in sick.

Employers can also expect 9% of staff to take annual leave with a further 11% taking advantage of flexible working.

Michael Rendell, PWC human resources partner, said: "Employers anticipating a spike in annual leave requests and absenteeism among football fans need to plan for the impact on staffing and productivity.

"There is huge goodwill to be gained from accommodating flexible working requests or allowing staff to take a couple of hours out to watch the games.

"With pay rises scarce and bonus pools down, this is a great way to thank and engage staff while bringing a very tangible opportunity to revisit and communicate flexible-working policies."