Work must be done in the workplace. This is also the case at the World Cup in Qatar. At 11:00 on Thursday, Switzerland will play their first match of this tournament. Many Swiss don’t want to miss it. However, watching the World Cup during working hours is prohibited everywhere.
Because watching football matches is considered a leisure activity. Employers’ union sees it the same way. However, employers must be understanding for their employees. Andy Müller, spokesperson for the employers’ association, said: “The employer usually does not have to release such activities. Experience has shown that companies are very accommodating to their employees.”
“Every company must make its own decision”
The employers’ association appeals to the goodwill of its members: “Each company must decide for itself how it will be organized so that as many employees as possible can watch the matches. But without having to constrain important operational processes.» Therefore, it would be beneficial for employees to discuss attendance times with their supervisors at an early stage during matches.
Hans-Ulrich Bigler (64), Director of the Swiss Trade Association, is relatively comfortable watching football: “There are no rules and that’s a good thing. Every company has to deal with it individually.” Therefore, the chamber of commerce does not expect any major discussion or difficulty in football.
Swisscom relies on employees to take personal responsibility
In principle, Swiss companies are comfortable cheering on a laptop or mobile phone. Raiffeisen and Credit Suisse point out that you should talk to your manager beforehand. That said, both banks see no problem following WM during business hours as long as customer service and quality of work don’t suffer as a result.
Swisscom relies on personal responsibility: “Many employees benefit from flexible working hours, which means that private interests can be better reconciled with professional requirements.” This means that watching the match counts as a leisure activity, not work time. It’s the same at the post office.
Time must be compensated
The challenges are greater for Migros and SBB. Both companies have employees who are not working in the office, so there are fewer opportunities to watch the World Cup live.
SBB spokesperson Luana Quinter said: “The drivers, train crew, line workers, train traffic controllers and others will, as always, be fully concentrated on their work. Only a relatively small proportion of workers can organize their own time, they will only have to compensate for the corresponding time.»
Public viewing at headquarters
Amag also employs many people who don’t just work in the office. For example, repairmen or sales representatives. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are many insights for football fans.
Amag spokesperson Dino Graf said: “We hold public screenings at locations, where processes allow. For example, at our headquarters.” Thanks to the annual working hour model, others can set their time for football and study themselves.