Sports Can Impact Your Workplace Productivity [infographic] – #WorldCup

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by Kronos, the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. The Workforce Institute is a Kronos-sponsored think tank that focuses on issues that impact the entire workforce. For more information, check out the Workforce Institute website and follow their blog. Enjoy the post!)

I must confess. Whether you call it football, soccer or futbol, I’m not really that much of a fan. However, every four years, I manage to get caught up in the excitement of World Cup. And today, I will be cheering for USMNT.

Sports play an important part in our lives. They teach us how to play by a set of rules. We learn strategies for winning. And how to be a team contributor. Whether you’re playing the game or a spectator, there’s some aspect that touches everyone. Even people who aren’t paying attention to sports have to learn the art of tolerance – usually for those who are.

Recently, our friends at Kronos conducted a study with Harris Interactive that reveals how employee productivity is impacted during major sporting events.

I found it very interesting that the likelihood of an employee missing work is not only contingent on the home team but which sport they are engaged in. Sorry, hockey fans.

But seriously, organizations do have an opportunity to turn these high-profile sporting events into a fun gathering for employees. It’s an opportunity for the company to show employees that they “get it”. Instead of having employees play hooky, create an environment that allows both work and, in this case, World Cup. Here are 3 things you can do:

  1. Be open and embrace it. You know employees want to watch and engage. Fighting it will only take more management time and energy. It’s also very possible the management team would love to check out the scores as well.
  2. Be flexible. If you really think about it, there are probably opportunities for flexibility with schedules and deadlines. Obviously, mission critical activities still need to happen. But figure out what those are and make plans. This is a temporary situation. Life will get back to normal soon enough.
  3. Communicate expectations. Let employees know what the company is doing and what is expected. This allows employees to take full advantage of the fun and make adjustments in their workday to still accomplish goals.

This can be a win-win situation. Everyone wants the same thing – to work and enjoy the game.

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