Employers Red Flag World Cup Watching During Business Hours

MAYNARD, Mass., Jun 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --This year, when key World Cup matches kick off, many workers will be at the office, owing to a schedule of weekday games and the time difference with host nation South Africa. A recent poll by Monster shows 17 percent of all respondents will miss matches because their employer bans watching or listening to games while at work. Additionally, nine percent plan on bypassing the ban by tuning in covertly. Only 12 percent of workers polled, however, reported their employer will allow them to tune in at the office.

Monster, the leading job matching engine and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW) posed the question, "Will you be watching the World Cup during work time?"

The 10,690 responses received worldwide found:

• 62%: No (I Have No Interest)
• 17%: No (My Employer Won't Let Me)
• 12%: Yes (My Employer Says We Can Watch/Listen To It At Work)
• 9%: Yes (I'll be watching it in the office but my employer will not know)

A few regional findings stood out among the results. Interestingly, workers from two countries renowned for their love of football, are the least likely to be allowed to watch, with 33 percent of Italian workers and 22 percent of UK workers, respectively, reporting bans by their employers. These underscore the larger trend of prohibitive policies in the EU, where 22 percent of respondents overall reported workplace bans on viewership, the highest percentage of any region despite their high number of teams in the overall World Cup Draw.

India, by contrast, whose national team did not qualify for the Finals, proved the most permissive market, with 30 percent of employers allowing workers to watch the World Cup. This high percentage mirrors the rest of Asia, where 22 percent of all respondents reported being allowed to watch during work, the most of any region.

The results for the United States, where football is soccer and soccer runs a distant fifth among major spectator sports in overall viewership, evidenced a predictable disinterest in World cup watching. Almost three quarters (74.8%) of American workers reported no interest in tuning in during work, the most of any nation.

Overall, 71 percent of North Americans surveyed demonstrated little or no interest in watching at work. A surprising 11.3 percent of Canadians, however, reported planning covert viewing against their employer's wishes, the most of any global market, compared with only 7.1 percent of Americans, who were least likely to do so.

"It's important for a business to have clear policies in place for special events like the World Cup which occur during normal working hours," said Jeff Quinn, senior director of research for Monster.com. "There's generally a feel good factor for any major sporting event and watching sports can be a great team bonding experience, especially when the home country is doing well. However, it's not appropriate for all situations so any restrictions should be clearly communicated in advance."

About the poll

The results of the current Monster Global Poll are based on votes cast by Monster visitors from: April 1 - 12 2010. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Global poll, a product of Monster^(R), the leading global online careers website and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc., is a series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), parent company of Monster, the premier global online employment solution for more than a decade, strives to inspire people to improve their lives. With a local presence in key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia, Monster works for everyone by connecting employers with quality job seekers at all levels and by providing personalized career advice to consumers globally. Through online media sites and services, Monster delivers vast, highly targeted audiences to advertisers. Monster Worldwide is a member of the S&P 500 index. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://about-monster.com

SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.

Monster.com
Kathy O'Reilly, 978-823-2002
Kathy.oreilly@monster.com
or
Monster Europe PR Contact
Weber Shandwick
Christina Cooper, +44 (0)20 7067 0151
ccooper@webershandwick.com