On the whole, the picture doesn’t look good. It was recently reported that staff absenteeism is going to be a big burden during the World Cup and if we are to believe the hype, the average UK worker will do anything to get out of going to work.

By now, firms should be treating employees as adults and respect that the most popular religion for 2006 will be football! Few people admit to being a Christian in public but football is OK.

Of course, there are the gloomy surveyors who claim that £3bn will be lost in productivity – or ‘£100m a day’, chants another worthy survey. The fact is, most employees have the ability to use informal or formal flexible working arrangements to manage their time around football matches, as they would any other domestic reason.

Absence from work is as likely for domestic reasons as it is sickness - so why discriminate now and stop employees enjoying themselves? The fixture list for the World Cup has only nine games starting at 3pm and eight games starting at 4pm; all the other 43 games start play at 5pm or later. So I ask, where is the problem? Workers are given time off to go the vet, dentist or doctor, just add football to the list for the summer of 2006.

Maybe the business is not paying enough attention to work-life balance issues? It can seem ‘soft’ to many firms to look at flexible working – at IHC, we have found that caring employers are differentiated in the recruitment market and beat competitors to the best candidates.

But what of health? Most employees - 93% - cite colds and flu as their reason for being away from work. At least 50% of all workplace absence is for sickness, and for these cases there are a huge range of services, products and insurance polices to buy. I recommend that firms have easily accessible and affordable links to resources to help employees buy good health policies and navigate their way round the health systems in the UK.

The NHS is complex, and a simple way to help is a 24-hour telephone line staffed by doctors that costs around £1 a month. It helps to solve health problems early and men use the confidential services as often as women. Problems are resolved more than 75% of the time on the phone and most of the rest self-medicate with the doctor’s advice. This is simple, effective and a good way to get health services to all the employees – not just the treasured few with private medical insurance!

But people do decide to stay away from work for a whole host of personal and domestic reasons. Sometimes it’s because they are feeling under pressure or are having difficulty dealing with their boss or a colleague. Badly organised shift patterns, and sometimes quite simple practical issues, such as an arduous commute, or difficulty finding somewhere to park, can play a role. Often, employees stay away simply because they are bored with their job or demotivated.

Organisations are often reluctant to tackle absenteeism because they will be forced to address uncomfortable issues likely to come to light as they investigate causes behind high rates of absence. The World Cup gives us an opportunity to team-build and have some social time with colleagues; let’s not waste this free opportunity.

Evidence from a study of more than 2,000 employees by the recruitment and consultancy firm Hudson shows that the World Cup is expected to have a major impact on the world of work. Some 70% of men and 62% of women in England expect that it will boost morale if the national side does well. One in 10 respondents predict the event will lift team spirit at work even if the England side does badly.

Our advice is to keep flexible, open-minded and treat employees with respect. The World Cup will lift the spirits of the UK and we should embrace it and enjoy it.

Top Tips
o Encourage your team to be truthful about the real reasons for their absence by acknowledging that people’s personal problems can impact on their work,

o Trends often emerge among absent employees that can lead to business improvements,

o Find out why the employee is absent and make sure they are aware of any help – such as corporate access to health services, a nurse or counselling,

o Stay in regular contact with anyone absent, not only to ensure that resulting workload issues can be addressed, but also to demonstrate support and commitment to an early return to work,

o Allow someone not able to return to their full job capabilities to ease themselves back into work by working part-time or on a managed programme,

o Remember that simply talking to employees and finding out what’s at the heart of their absence can often unblock some of the barriers to returning to work.