# How is the World Cup affecting your workplace? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 23, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465 "2014-06-23T17:52:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/1 "2014-06-23T17:52:43Z")
[The new google doodle](http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/tech/Google-Doodle-Takes-on-Office-Workers-Sneaking-Peeks-at-World-Cup-Games-264269251.html) about workers sneaking around to watch the World Cup got me thinking. At your own workplace, how much is the World Cup cutting into people’s work time? (Obviously, this is mainly aimed at non-American posters.) Does your workplace have any World Cup related policies? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/2 "2014-06-23T18:04:43Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > [The new google doodle](http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/tech/Google-Doodle-Takes-on-Office-Workers-Sneaking-Peeks-at-World-Cup-Games-264269251.html) about workers sneaking around to watch the World Cup got me thinking. At your own workplace, how much is the World Cup cutting into people’s work time? (Obviously, this is mainly aimed at non-American posters.) Does your workplace have any World Cup related policies? USA! USA! USA! (Yes, the game yesterday nearly broke my heart. Thank god we all have a great shot at runner-up.) It doesn’t affect my workplace at all. Very few soccer fans among the ranks. But it is absolutely disrupting my Twitter and Facebook usage. I DVR the games people, shut up about them! ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/3 "2014-06-23T18:15:57Z")
Four years ago, at my last job, a goodly group of people would gather in a room with a nice media set up to watch the matches. This is in the US, but there was a huge ex-pat contingent there. The media set up was a wall of 9 HD screen configured to show an 8 foot high single picture. Most of us would bring our computer and act like we were doing some work, but little would get done. For one of the semi-finals, there was a very large crowd that included the VP of R&D, so it wasn’t like we would get in trouble with our boss. For further clarification, I was pretty autonomous in my job at that place. I rarely talked to my boss, because he didn’t really understand what I did. I was pretty much self managed. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/4 "2014-06-23T18:53:47Z")
The tech guy at my workplace announced over the intercom that people watching the World Cup on their computers were negatively affecting the computer system, and to please stop it. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/5 "2014-06-23T19:39:23Z")
Not at all because of the time difference between the UK and Brazil - almost all the games start at or after normal UK working hours. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/6 "2014-06-23T19:44:48Z")
Most people in my dept drew a team to support; prizes are given to the team that gets the most own goals, gets the most goals scored against them, makes the biggest gaffe, etc. A few bleary-eyed chaps wandering around most mornings. Most of a staff meeting session was taken up with a discussion of the previous night’s results. My guy colleagues are footy-mad, made all the more interesting by having a fairly international department. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/7 "2014-06-23T20:32:02Z")
There’s some sort of sports thing going on? You wouldn’t guess it at my office. Our default is to block streaming video sites, and none of my immediate team are much into soccer. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/8 "2014-06-23T20:38:15Z")
Zero, zilch, nada. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/9 "2014-06-23T20:56:10Z")
Whats that crazy sport where they cant throw the ball? ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/10 "2014-06-23T21:26:07Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Not at all because of the time difference between the UK and Brazil - almost all the games start at or after normal UK working hours. Yep. It’s great: people want to get home quickly so everyone leaves just a tiny bit early. I leave the normal time and I have the whole train to myself! Well, I did today anyway. Bliss. Someone in the lift told me that if I hurried I would probably make it. Silly person. I savoured that beautifully quiet train ride and read my book. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/11 "2014-06-23T22:06:31Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Whats that crazy sport where they cant throw the ball? There’s always one. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/12 "2014-06-23T22:44:58Z")
It’s not. We don’t have any TVs, and our work filter doesn’t let us stream anything. At most, a few die-hards in other departments may be surfing [espn.com](http://espn.com) a little more than usual for recaps. But nobody in my neck of the woods cares about futbol. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/13 "2014-06-23T22:46:15Z")
I can’t see any discernible effect. It hasn’t had any official mention. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/14 "2014-06-23T22:53:11Z")
Zero. Everyone in my work environment is an H-1 from either India or China. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/15 "2014-06-23T22:59:26Z")
I don’t think anyone’s watching at work yet, but at least it gives us a different kind of football to talk about during the NFL offseason. On Thursday US vs. Germany is at noon though, we’ll probably watch that online. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/16 "2014-06-23T23:08:25Z")
Many of my colleagues are Mexican citizens and/or of Mexican descent. Let’s just say productivity toward the end of the day today was impacted for sure 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/17 "2014-06-24T00:14:11Z")
At work we do have the matches playing on one of the big screen tvs in the office but the volume is turned off. It is usually on CNN Headline news or The Weather Channel. As is normal, we are ignoring the tv. However Mrs Iggy is seeing her entire city in Colombia shut down. (We live apart - long distance relationship) There most government offices are officially closing for Colombia’s matches and most private businesses other than bars are closing as well. The mayor just announced a prohibition on tailgating parties in the street for tomorrow’s match in hopes of limiting assaults and other damages in the celebrations. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/18 "2014-06-24T00:30:01Z")
A few of the younger employees wanted to watch some game on Thursday. I had to remind them 1) I want them working and 2) they’re Americans not Europeans. ---
**Author:** ![Novalyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@Novalyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novalyne)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/19 "2014-06-24T02:38:14Z")
I work at a school in Costa Rica. It’s crazy here! They actually changed the dates of the semester exams for high school, so that they would not interfere as much with the World Cup schedule. When the first games started, every classroom had them streaming on the projectors for students to watch. It bogged down the whole system. They have broadcast several games in the auditorium for anyone who was free. During the Costa Rica game last week, I walked around campus running errands. Everyone - and I mean everyone - was gathered around a TV or a computer. I could tell exactly what was happening by the cheers around campus. The cool thing is that our school is at the top of a hill overlooking the town. You could hear the roars from the town below echoing around our sports field. (Not to mention the car horns - that went on for hours after Costa Rica won.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465/20 "2014-06-24T02:49:48Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > A few of the younger employees wanted to watch some game on Thursday. I had to remind them 1) I want them working and 2) they’re Americans not Europeans. Once they are older and get a little more experience they will probably all be applying for jobs where mcgato used to work:D [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-world-cup-affecting-your-workplace/691465.md?page=2)