England booed after escaping with a draw against Denmark

Bosses have been warned to expect millions of staff to work from home or call in sick today to watch England take on Denmark in the Euros. HR chiefs are predicting what has been dubbed “Leaning Thursday” and the 5pm kick-off has prompted many football fans to avoid going to the office or taking their annual leave.

About 14 million of the country’s workforce are expected to work from home, and another three million have already decided to take the day off as a vacation, according to BrightHR, which monitors the absence of more than a million employees at more than 50,000 companies. From Great Britain. . Holiday rates increased 123 percent for Thursday and 148 percent for the following day, the company said.

Meanwhile, a third of England’s workforce is expected to start early to get to the pub in time for kick-off or watch from their desks on company time, costing the economy an estimated £208m based on the National Office of Statistics (ONS) daily trends on productivity data.

Alan Price, chief executive of BrightHR, told the Telegraph: “With the game kicking off at 5pm, it looks like it’s ‘Tiny Thursday’ with staff leaving early to get to the pub in time.

“Some will call in sick during the day so they can watch the game, many others will work from home to avoid missing out, and holiday requests have also spiked. Productivity will also take a bit of a dip among staff stuck at work and post-match.

“The game will cost the economy a lot. Just one hour of lost work for millions of employees costs up to millions. The best advice for bosses to keep staff away is to let them watch the game at work and make up for lost work time later.”

As supporters pack pubs on Thursday night, the hospitality industry is expecting a significant increase in sales, with the BBPA predicting Britons will sink an extra five million pints – worth an extra £24m in sales for businesses .

“The Euros are already delivering a huge boost in additional trade for pubs as football fans know there’s no better place to watch live than in their home,” said Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer Association and Pub.

“For this England v Denmark, the latest BBPA figure shows an extra four to five million pints will be enjoyed worth up to a potential £24m for the sector.”

TV viewing records will also be broken on Thursday, with 15 million BBC viewers, the biggest teatime TV audiences of the year, expected on BBC One and iPlayer, analysis of England viewing shows from previous tournaments.

“Day games in England have surprisingly high ratings. People will make the effort to watch, taking time off work, and children will make sure they are home from school on time,” said TV ratings provider Overnights.tv.