| RICARDO MAZALAN/AP |
Who will carry the cup in 2002?
|
|
Getting Up Will Be the Easy Part
For many English fans, the daily morning commute could be from pub to work
By HUGH PORTER London
January 21, 2002
When it's kickoff time in Korea and Japan, fans in Britain will be eight time zones away at the start of the working day. So employers are bracing themselves for some significant disruption this June. In a survey of England supporters by Barclaycard released last week, 40% of those questioned said they would feign illness and take sick leave to watch the national side play. Recognizing the inevitability of massive absenteeism, many firms are planning flexible working hours or allowing employees to watch games in the office. Steven Powell of the Football Supporters Association says employers "who take a hard line will suffer—people will just take the whole day off sick." A potentially bigger headache for bosses could be caused by the more than 30,000 pubs that may open as early as 6 a.m. on match days if, as is widely expected, the government allows it. The idea irks antialcoholism campaigners and police, who worry about drunk drivers leaving the pub and heading to work.
|
promotion
|
|
