Once every four years, the  FIFA World Cup is a thorn in the side of human resource managers around the world.

Nearly 10,000 Dutch people, for example, have asked for "sick" leave during the football tournament. And absence rates at companies in the United Kingdom could shoot up to 40 per cent if England enters the final, says Active Health Partners, an absence management consulting firm.

The situation is better in China, however, because time differences mean the matches are not cutting into the working day. But sweating, yelling, and drinking too much beer late into the night is likely to take its toll on work efficiency the next day.

A recent survey by ChinaHR.com shows that half of the human resource (HR) managers in China are worried their companies will be negatively affected by World Cup fever.

Despite this, many say they won't be extra strict on employees during the one-month football tournament.

Some corporate executives believe adopting "the most appropriate management" during this time is like being a strong fullback. If they can inject the team spirit of the World Cup into their office environment, they can score big goals in the business world.

"I don't want to do anything special against our staff watching the football games. I would say, 'gentlemen, we will offer something special when necessary'," says Jose Cataluna Casanova, vice-president and general manager of Airbus (Beijing) Engineering Centre.

"You need to trust your people. I believe the people at Airbus are responsible enough to realize that once they are at work, they need to work hard."

The European aircraft manufacturer employs 55,000 people from 80 countries. In Beijing alone, there are engineers from five different European countries.

"This is a really big family. Nobody is working alone," Casanova says. "We often use excellent matches during the World Cup as examples to encourage our people. We emphasize team spirit. People need to know how to support and how to help each other."
Gong He, a public relations officer at Airbus China, still remembers the quarter-final between England and Brazil in the last Japan/South Korea World Cup, not only because of the breathtaking match itself, but because he watched it at work.

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