The Centre for Applied Emotional Intelligence recently contrasted their approach to World Cup ‘sickness’ to the more conventional rule based approach towards staff absence and reduced productivity during June and July 2006. The ACAS website provides suggestions for implementing an absence control procedure and alerts the reader to discriminatory issues around workplace cover, the use of the internet for downloading software to watch matches on PCs etc.

An attitude based approach reinforces the following:
football is the national game so it’s good to be supporting our national team and those who are passionate about the game
the company needs to maintain a high level of performance so that we can delight our customers and provide our employees with salaries and benefits
working together can achieve both and to create a win-win

Geoff Atkinson, Chief Executive of South Somerset Homes is a boss who knows the value of an emotionally intelligent attitude towards the World Cup.

The principle is simply that the organisation should come out and confirm
that anybody who wants to watch their own team’s games can and that they are trusted to do their duty either side of that. And if the kick-off is during
the middle of the day, put up a giant screen in the training room. Therefore, in absence management terms, there is no need to manage the situation because we have removed the problem.”
This is what South Somerset Homes have done from the start of the World Cup.