EXCLUSIVE: HR chiefs have warned over 2.3million Brits are expected to call in ‘sick’ with World Cup fever during the month-long tournament with more ‘sickies’ to come if England and Scotland progress
Sickies are set to soar this summer as football fever sweeps the nation during the World Cup. Experts reckon over two million hungover workers will phone in ill over the month-long tournament set to kick off in June.
The numbers of bed-stricken footie fans is expected to “skyrocket” if England and Scotland progress through the tournament. But bosses are being urged to give them an easy ride and act more leniently as, “if you can’t beat them join them”.
The business leaders are being encouraged to adjust their shift times to “account for the hysteria”, especially as so many footie fans were priced out by the ticketing scandal. Ben Perks, of Orchard Financial Advisers, said: “The sickies will increase as England progress throughout the tournament.
“Honestly, the best advice for employers is… if you can’t beat them join them! Football fever will sweep the nation and you may as well get on board, adjust your opening hours, account for the hysteria and cheer the team on.”
BrightHR, which monitors absence among over a million employees at over 50,000 UK companies, told the Daily Star they predict at least 1.5 million workers will call in at least once, resulting in 2,354,752 additional sickness absences during the 2026 World Cup tournament. The firm added that the figure is expected to skyrocket if England and/or Scotland make it out of their groups to the knockout stages.
In 2021, the day after England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, BrightHR’s absence management software showed sicknesses rocket 232%, lateness rose 209% and pre-booked annual leave requests increased by 126%.
Alan Price, CEO of BrightHR, said: “World Cup fever is building, and I’d encourage all companies to embrace the positivity around the tournament. Not only is it great for morale, but a successful tournament also brings a much-needed boost to the hospitality industry.
“I do expect the time difference between the US and the UK to have a significant impact on sickies this time. Footie fans will be up till 2am for many matches which could get the better of them the next morning, especially if the party continues after the final whistle.
“During the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany, lateness increased by 50% the day after matches. So, we expect this number to soar, especially following the west coast matches.
He added: “There will, of course, be genuine sickness absences the day after matches so employers should never assume someone is pulling a sickie. If there is genuine cause to think the absence is not genuine, then you should take time to investigate and take appropriate action.”
Rohit Parmar-Mistry of Artificial Intelligence firm Pattrn said the expected surge of illnesses is not a big deal. He said: “There will probably be more sickies during the World Cup, but this is not exactly a national emergency.
“It comes round once every four years, and if England go deep there will be plenty of people convincing themselves this might finally be the time.
“We say that every tournament, of course, but hope has a way of wrecking next morning attendance. There could be some short term disruption, but I would not overstate the productivity hit given how weak UK productivity already is more broadly.”