Employees likely to call in sick, take annual leave to watch World Cup: Survey

Many employees in the UAE and Middle East are likely to take one day from their annual leaves — or even call in sick — just to watch the World Cup matches, a new survey revealed on Thursday.

In the poll of GulfTalent, some employees reported that they would watch the games during working hours, while others would request a full-day leave; leave work early; or simply call in sick.

Survey findings show that employees working remotely or in hybrid mode are twice as likely to call in sick, compared to those working in the office full-time.

The FIFA World Cup being held in Qatar has gripped the region, especially Dubai, with many football fans settled in the emirate to watch the games. These fans travel to Doha and return to the city every day, which has been made possible through a large number of flights

operated by Flydubai, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia.

It said that around 77 per cent of employees in the region plan to watch at least some of the World Cup games, including 41 per cent who plan to watch the games during working hours as the Cup fever grips the region.

Of these, roughly one-third expect that they would be given permission to watch the games, while one in six said they would secretly watch the games by live-streaming them on their computers or smartphones.

The survey was based on online responses from 7000 professionals across nine countries in the Middle East.

EMPLOYER REACTION

Many employer reactions vary widely, ranging from stricter attendance monitoring and punitive measures — such as warnings — to giving employees a level of controlled flexibility.

Some respondents mentioned they were permitted to take some time off on days when business was less busy or to submit requests for time off to watch particular games.