(AFP Photo)
By Menna Zaki
Employee productivity will be hit by the 2014 World Cup, with 89% of employees in the MENA region planning to watch at least some of the games according to a GulfTalent survey.
The survey added that one in ten employees plan to go to work late in order to watch the matches at night. Up to 3% of the employees surveyed said that they would report sick rather than go to work.
The survey conducted a comparison between different job categories, with results showing that IT professionals are most likely to come to work late or call in sick. HR professionals are most likely to take annual leave; however marketing professionals will cut on their sleep and come to work tired.
Participants of the survey pointed that the World Cup Tournament will coincide with the second half of Ramadan. Many employees in the Middle East will have their working hours reduced, allowing them to sleep and stay up for the games.
Some employers in the MENA region expressed their concern about the possibility of productivity drop during the tournament. Others were more relaxed about the impact of the games, since employees’ morale is important to productivity.
GulfTalent’s research was based on an online survey of 18,000 professionals employed in different industries across the Middle East.
GulfTalent is an online recruitment portal used by over 4 million professionals across the region.
