Economy

Employers fear the World Cup

By ZHAO LEI (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-11 09:11

Wang Qinglian, who works for a Shanghai medical products company, said his firm has meted out some new regulations for leave.

Anyone who requests for sick leave must submit a medical certificate and only one worker from a particular department can be on leave on a single day during the month, according to a report in the Shanghai-based Youth Daily.

Some companies have vowed strict action against those who violate rules.

A manager with a Chongqing-based financial company, said a memo was sent to all employees warning them that bringing beer to office, coming to work late without a valid reason, or getting involved in any altercation with colleagues regarding football will result in dismissal.

But football-crazy Chinese are ready to put the World Cup before their work at the risk of getting sacked.

Zhang Huiquan, an editor at a Wuhan-based sports website, said: "I would rather quit my job than give up the rare opportunity to enjoy the biggest football tournament in the world," he said.

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"Human Resource departments across the country will likely see a deluge of sick leave requests during the tournament. But flexible managers can seize the opportunity to refresh the spirits of the employees," said Ou Yanghui, a senior human resource expert from chinahr.com, a recruitment website.

"Being more humane and caring toward the employees is in the best interest of the company. In addition, embracing the zeitgeist also gives employers the moral high ground in terms of establishing ground rules - very necessary to ensure that people are not psychologically absent for long periods of time. Drawing clear lines and expectations will help ensure that conflicts are minimized.

"Sometimes the employers or supervisors can share their thoughts about a particular match with the football fans in their company and improve relations with them," he said.