According to a poll made by office suppliers Viking, half of England Fans admitted that they would pretend that they’re too unwell to work if England in the 2018 World Cup win and takes a sick day on Monday, July 16th.

46% confessed that they would call their manager and pretend to be sick so they can carry on celebrating if England won the tournament, with a further 16.4% saying that although they would come into work, they wouldn’t get much done.

Bunking off work because of a sporting event may not be a new experience for some, with 4 out of 10 people admitting that they had done so before.

Luckily, it doesn’t seem likely that people will be calling in sick after the final, with only 5% of those surveyed believing England in the 2018 World Cup will win.

It’s not only the after-effects of a potential victory that looks set to pull people away from the office.

Viking’s survey also found that:

• Over half (53%) of people are considering taking time off for this year’s World Cup.
• 20% of respondents plan to take 18th June off for England’s first fixture, playing Tunisia.
• 10% of respondents will be absent from work on 24th June as England play Panama.
• 12% of respondents indicate that they will be booking a holiday on 28th June for England’s last group stages match against Belgium.

If 53% of the working population is absent, this is likely to lead to 23,190,235 working days lost across the tournament. Based on the average UK wage, this puts the cost of the World Cup at £2,424,539,069 to businesses.

Claire Porciani, Senior Manager HR Operations UK & Ireland at Viking, said; “it’s surprising just how many people plan to take time off for the World Cup. Hopefully, England will do fantastically, but we definitely advise letting your manager know as soon as possible if you plan on booking a holiday so this can be approved and organized, meaning you can celebrate without worry!”.

If you have any requirements then please feel free to contact Dan or visit his website Real Football Data.

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