The summer of sickies – How the World Cup stands to shake your business’s finances

The men’s football World Cup kicks off on 11 June and many businesses get into the spirit with a workplace sweepstake.

While this can lead to a boost in morale, football fever can bring with it challenges that can make businesses struggle.

A surge in sick days is anticipated, so you should consider how your business can adapt.

How will the World Cup affect my business?

The 2022 World Cup resulted in a notable increase in sick days and the larger scale of this year’s event may make things worse.

As there are now 48 teams playing in 104 matches, up from the 32 playing in 64 matches, there is a concern that the greater scope will lead to more excess.

While the exact impact of the tournament on sick days remains to be seen, estimates currently expect between 650,000 and 3.6 million sick days to be taken.

Some sick days will stem from excessive alcohol consumption, resulting in illnesses and hangovers that wipe out your team.

Some might be the result of tiredness from watching the games too late into the night, while others might be people skipping work to watch.

Regardless of the reason, you need to consider how you will adapt to the lost workforce.

This should be paired with HR and health and safety considerations if you feel that employees are violating contracts or working while not safe to do so.

Taking a holistic view of the situation lets you keep control and understanding your finances is a core part of this.

How should I prepare my business for the World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup is the first to arrive after the changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).

There are fears that these may boost the number of sick days taken, as it is now possible to take SSP on the first day of absence rather than waiting for three days.

Payroll processes also need to be ready to handle the sudden impact of SSP and should be able to accommodate as many workers’ absences as are needed throughout this time.

Seeking expert financial support can be an effective way of managing the impact of the World Cup on your business.

We can help process your payroll so that the new way of handling SSP does not become a compliance risk for you.

Our team can work with you to budget effectively so that you can be aware of how a decline in productivity will translate in terms of your finances.

Should your business stand to benefit from the World Cup, our team can conduct financial forecasting to help you make the most of increases in revenue as well.

Understanding the full impact the World Cup may have on your business is the best way to ensure that the stress of the situation is reduced.

It is not too late to get your finances straightened out ahead of the first game.

Speak to our team today to kick off stronger finances for your business.