When England kick off against Mexico at 1am on Monday, Joshua Elash will be among the millions staying up to watch. The chief executive of London-based MT Finance Group has made it simple for his 125 employees: start work at 11am instead of the usual 08:45. “It wasn’t a dilemma at all,” he says. “This was as close to a no-brainer as a business can get.”
The company does not normally allow working from home, but for this match, Elash and other senior managers are extending the same lie-in they plan to give themselves. “It’s good for morale,” he adds, even if Monday isn’t particularly productive. “Some things are more important than, you know, a day’s revenue.”
“Employers urged to allow flexible working after England's 1am World Cup match, with some offering late starts.”
Others are going further. MadeByShape, a digital marketing firm in Manchester, is giving its 21 staff the day off, provided they are on track with work and have rearranged any client meetings. Co-founder Andy Golpys says: “As long as the work gets done, it doesn’t really matter whether you work that day or catch up the next. They appreciate you more, but from a business point of view, we’re not really losing that much.”
The TUC, the umbrella group for trade unions, is urging employers to use “common sense and understanding” for the morning-after arrangements. Assistant general secretary Kate Bell says the match will “have implications for workers across the country”. She advises staff to check their contracts and hopes bosses will allow working from home, later starts, or swapped hours where possible. “It won’t be possible for everyone, but we do know that where employers make that extra effort to show flexibility to their employees, people really appreciate it.”
The government added to the late-night confusion. On Thursday, it said pubs could stay open until 5am on Monday, having ruled that out earlier the same day. Some hospitality groups welcomed the move, but police criticised the “late” announcement. Reports then suggested the 01:00 kick-off might be brought forward by six hours over storm concerns, before Fifa decided against it hours later.
John Palmer, senior advisor at conciliation service Acas, says firms must treat requests for time off fairly, but those in manufacturing and retail may struggle to offer flexibility. For now, bleary-eyed fans can at least hope their boss shows the same spirit as Joshua Elash: “Some things are more important than a day’s revenue.”