World Cup fever is sweeping the globe. Even the U.S., where soccer is traditionally not that popular, seems to be getting in on the craze, perhaps aided by blanket media coverage and the ability to watch the tournament online and on smartphones.
It’s a veritable feast of football — as we call it on the this side of the pond — which is great news for those of us who love the sport. However, it’s not such great news for many businesses, as productivity is lost due to the distraction of the event, never mind outright absenteeism. One headline-grabbing estimate from the UK Chartered Management Institute predicts that it could cost British businesses up to £1 billion ($1.5 billion) in lost work hours.
One solution to that problem would be for companies to allow employees more flexible working to fit their workdays around the matches, where possible. Of course, many web workers already have the flexibility to set their own schedules, so I thought I’d run a quick poll to see how many of our readers are taking advantage of that flexibility to stay productive while also catching as much of the tournament as possible:
Photo courtesy stock.xchng user clix
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