Does The World Cup Affect Workplace Productivity

Does The World Cup Affect Workplace Productivity Do you love watching the World Cup? Do you watch it during work?  When I worked as a corporate consultant back in 2010, streaming video of the World Cup games  was actually banned at our company since it was horribly affecting our Internet network. It made me wonder how many people at my work were actually watching the World Cup rather than working. I also wondered whether it was influencing productivity since it seemed like no one was really working around me. I noticed a few people watching the game and  some cheers coming from the office next to mine.   I even took part in the festivities by taking a rather long lunch to watch one of the games with co-workers (it was a team building event of course). In the past, I never even knew when the World Cup was on.   This year, there was so much more hype and excitement about the World Cup games!    I think this is mainly due to the awesome  wins and stories  from the United States team.   The U.S.’s 2-1 loss to Ghana in the World Cup’s round of 16 was the most watched men’s soccer match in American history, with 19.4 million viewers (14.9 million on ABC and 4.5 million on Spanish language Univision). My husband and I watched most of  the games  and really enjoyed  them.   We even talk about how we wish we would have played soccer  when we were younger  and how our kids will be soccer superstars and play in the World Cup  someday (or  future Olympians instead?) Due to the time difference, games are  played when most Americans are at work. The final game  is today between the Netherlands and Spain.   (Go Spain!) The Stats The  News and World Report estimated The World Cup will likely cost American companies 10 minutes of productivity a day for 21 days. That comes to about $121.7 million in lost productivity in the US.   Even though this number is pretty shocking, Americans probably watch the World Cup less than any other country. In Italy, when workers were told that they couldn’t watch the game, they went on strike a half hour before the game.   Did you know that Brazil basically shuts down everything when their team plays?   No work, school, flights  or  even elective surgeries  so that everyone  can be in front of the TV. Have you noticed decreased productivity at work by you or your co-workers?   Do you think  this is  ok because  the World  Cup  only comes around every four years?