An ode to the beautiful game: World cup at work for the lovers and football haters among us.
Oh football, so round and kickable!
Here at the Wellbeing at Work team there is no hiding from the fact that we love you. The joy you bring with every win, the despair with each loss, and anticipation every 2 years of a major tournament where maybe, just maybe it actually does ‘come home’! Whether it’s playing or watching (even random teams we don’t support) football is dear to our hearts.
In case you hadn’t noticed, I could talk about football all day. But what does this have to do with workplace health you may be thinking?
The 2026 World Cup is starting this week, with games taking place across Mexico, Canada and the USA. With the tournament taking place for the next 37 days, productivity, presenteeism and sickness absence, according to reports, are likely to be affected.
But what if we embrace this celebratory and exciting occasion as a moment to cultivate belonging, improve positive workplace culture, and develop a collective identity. Organise a no cost sweepstake, wear a football shirt to work day, have a Lunch time kick a bout, top up the fruit bowl and create a hydration station, arrange a social to watch a game, or enable flexible working! Belonging, cohesion and compassion are good for health and what’s good for health is good for your workplace.
There is of course a more serious side to this event; sadly, every major football tournament where England are playing brings an increase in domestic abuse, harmful gambling, substance misuse, and other wellbeing concerns.
With this in mind the Stay Safe in East Sussex team have created a webpage on how to stay safe and well during the world cup which directs to support and services – Staying safe during the World Cup | Safe in East Sussex.
Please do share this website and be mindful of the challenges that may arise during this time, particularly for your colleagues and employees.
We will leave you with the following suggestions:
- Be safe and stay well
- Be flexible and compassionate
- Share your world cup workplace activities with us! If you’ve got photos, even better 😊.