‘Start work at 11’ – but will other bosses be as flexible over England’s 1am match?
As World Cup excitement builds ahead of Monday’s midnight match, businesses are trying to figure out how to handle the next day.
Workers hoping to stay up late for England’s clash with Mexico, which kicks off at 01:00 GMT, will want to know what their options are.
Some industries, such as manufacturing and retail, have been less able to provide flexibility, while others are offering teary-eyed fans the ability to start later so they can catch up on sleep.
Joshua Elash, who runs London-based firm MT Finance Group, allows his staff to start work at 11am.
“It wasn’t a dilemma at all. It was as simple a situation as a business could be,” he says.
“Everyone in this company works in the office. We actually don’t have a work-from-home policy here.
“We are a financial company, so we think it is important and critical for everyone to be together, communicate and work together in real time.
“So yes, under normal circumstances all 125 people would be in the office at 8:45 or 9:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. But that will definitely not be the case this Monday.”
Joshua said he and other senior managers would stay awake to watch the game and if he wanted to lie it would only be fair to spread the word to the rest of the team.
“It’s good for morale,” he says, adding that even if Monday isn’t a very productive day overall, it’ll be worth it.
“Some things are, you know, more important than a day’s income,” he adds.
