Acorn, Wales's largest recruitment and training company, is warning that the World Cup which kicks-off in Germany next month will place massive demands on the recruitment industry to provide cover for 'absent' staff.
With World Cup absenteeism forecast to cost British businesses £100m a day - and Welsh business some £5m a day - Acorn says employers will be forced to embark on a major sign-up of temporary and permanent cover in their factories and offices.
Industry research suggests that absenteeism is likely to rise a staggering 20 per cent on England's first-round match days, which kick-off in the second week of June, moving higher if the team makes it through to the knock-out stages.
Victoria Rees, Market Research & Development Officer of Acorn says all the indications are that the tournament threatens to be one of the biggest distractions to employers in recent memory - and that bosses need to be ready for it.
"We are investigating forecasts that one in seven staff may be ready to 'throw a sickie' if England do well. That will have some pretty dramatic effects for a lot of businesses," she said.
"Conversely, of course, if England do well then it will result in a big boost in moral across the country. This in itself may lead to greater productivity and pride in the job."
She said it was not too late for employers to put measures in place to minimise World Cup disruption. "Even if employers do not take up the option of taking on large numbers of staff, it is vital to put in place measures to protect key areas of the workplace," added Victoria.
Pat Kiely, Head of Acorn's HR Development Consultancy, a specialist in the outsourcing of HR services, warned, however, that employers should be aware of their legal rights before considering acting against any employees they felt were taking advantage of World Cup fever.
"Under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR), employees have the right to take up to four weeks and employees have the right to a daily rest period of at least 20 minutes if the working day is longer than six hours," he said.
"Employees may also 'self-certificate' for up to 7 calendar days - in other words they are not obliged to supply their employer with a doctor's certificate until the eighth day of their absence due to illness."
He urged employers to be as flexible and practical as possible, while still being firm. "In addition employers should anticipate a large number of requests for the World Cup period and decide in advance on what basis the requests will be granted, as well as preparing now for an understaffed workforce during the World Cup period."
Established in 1992, Acorn has branches throughout South Wales, Wrexham, Bristol, Runcorn, Manchester and Edinburgh. It enjoyed a £38.5m turnover in 2004/05, and employs more than 230 staff.
From its Head Offices at Celtic Springs just outside Newport, many of Acorn's specialist divisions such as Acorn Perms, European Services, Contract Management, Construction, Technical & Engineering, Rail and Education Services operate, and also the highly regarded Learning & Development Division.
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