European Football Championship: One in nine men wants to secretly watch games in the office

Exclusive

Are employees allowed to watch football in offices, shops and factories during work? Only with the approval of their superiors. That is what labor law requires. Nevertheless, a good quarter of Germans can imagine watching “secretly”. One in nine men is even determined to do so if games are on during their working hours. This is the result of a survey commissioned by the employer rating portal Kununu – and which was given to the star in advance.

The anticipation for the European Football Championship in Germany is growing after the match against Ukraine: On Friday, the national team will play its last warm-up match against Greece, and a week later on June 14th, the opening match against Scotland will take place. According to the survey, 43 percent of employees can imagine watching national team games at work.

Fortunately, a European Championship has a more forgiving schedule than a World Cup. Nevertheless, there will be games in the afternoon at 3 p.m. The second kick-off time at 6 p.m. is also difficult for many working people. And of course there are quite a few people who have to do shift work – and therefore often cannot sit relaxed in front of the TV or in the beer garden for the third time at 9 p.m.

European Football Championship in the office: betting rounds and watching together

Many employers seem to understand this: 16 percent of employees surveyed in May said that their employer creates the opportunity to watch games with colleagues. A further 27 percent can imagine their superiors doing this. Almost half of those surveyed talk about betting rounds for the European Championship in the workplace. One in eight can even report that the employer organizes the betting game.

A European Championship in your own country is a very special thing for many football fans. In Berlin, a huge area for public viewing is currently being built at the Brandenburg Gate, and there will be countless opportunities to watch and celebrate the games all over the country. This is also an opportunity for employers, says Nina Zimmermann, head of Kununu. “Employers should recognize this desire for participation and find flexible solutions.” Because “shared experiences can strengthen the corporate culture.”

In fact, 44 percent of respondents to the football survey suspect that the European Championships will have an impact on productivity in their workplace. While around 18 percent believe that productivity will increase, 26 percent suspect that work performance will decrease. In the Kununu survey, women are significantly more critical of this than men.

Radio usually works well

Listening to the radio is permitted in many companies. This is not a problem during the European Championships, as legally speaking it is a “company practice”, i.e. a kind of customary law. In principle, work must not be disturbed. If so, permission from superiors is always required.

This does not mean checking the score on your cell phone. On the other hand, if you use a company computer, this could also be a violation of your employment agreement if private use of the PC and the Internet is prohibited. This could even lead to termination.

No right to European Football Championship in the workplace

No employer has to accept it if games are watched. In normal circumstances, an employee cannot be fired immediately for this. First, a warning is required. However, employees should not let it get that far unless absolutely necessary. Even arriving late after celebrating a victory of the favored team can lead to problems: If you do this repeatedly, you can be fired.

Important to know: If you are still in your probationary period or work in a company with no more than ten employees, you should definitely coordinate with your superiors. In this case, there is no special protection against dismissal.

For the Kununu survey, market researchers from Bilendi spoke to 1,024 working people in May. Three-quarters of those surveyed worked full-time, the rest worked part-time.