17/06/2026
The 2026 World Cup starts from 11 June and is being held across three countries - USA, Canada, and Mexico. There are over 100 matches and for UK viewers will involve various time zones.
How can employers manage this and prevent disruptions to the workday, whilst also allowing employees to watch games?
Here are some tips:
⚽ Staff morale and Viewing Areas - many matches are early morning and late evening kick offs. Consider whether it is appropriate for employees to watch games during working hours? If so, what are the viewing boundaries? Consider a viewing area or putting up a screen in the workplace and allow staff to watch the games together in their breaks. This could boost the workforce morale.
⚽ Time Out: Holiday requests and Flexible Working Hours - balance holiday requests for key England games and also consider allowing staff to leave early where there is a late afternoon game.
⚽ Think about allowing special decorations such as flags (allowing all country's flags)
⚽ Consider temporarily relaxing the dress code, for example allowing football shirts to be worn.
⚽ Beware of the risk of discrimination during the World Cup, for example offering special arrangements for home nation fans and not to the other countries' fans.
⚽ Red Cards: ensure staff are made aware that harassment linked to the event, for example hostile or racist remarks about a particular country, will not be tolerated. Also beware that football banter is not going too far.
⚽Post match celebrations: remind employees of their responsibilities outside work, such as in pubs, which could be linked back to the workplace, for example via social media and that they should be fit to work the following day.
