Working From Home or Watching From Home?

This week’s a big one, and we’re not strictly talking flex. Today Work.Life opened its doors at Borough, tomorrow Huckletree is putting on a big broker bash, but on Wednesday all eyes are on England at the Euro semi-finals. The buzz of the Euros this summer no doubt begs a larger questioning of our flexible working habits. Are employees Working From Home or Watching From Home? Here's FATC's thoughts.

Let's dive in. The world’s sporting storm that descends on our lives every summer, dominating every aspect of our personal and professional realms in ways both thrilling, and, let's admit, a bit disruptive. 

The Euros not only unites us in passionate fandom but also redefines how we balance work and leisure during these electrifying weeks of sport. At home, schedules are bent around match times. Social plans hinge on whether there’s a screen present , and living rooms transform into impromptu sports bars, all while our netflix queue languishes in neglect. Meanwhile, the workplace morphs into a sports aficionado's playground, where sales figures and KPI’s take a back seat to heated debates over match predictions and office sweepstakes.

This shift has been amplified by the pandemic, which not only reshaped our workweeks but also transformed our perception of Fridays. What used to be the traditional 9-to-5 grind has now evolved into a more laid-back vibe, with Fridays increasingly seen as the unofficial gateway to a long weekend. This change is highlighted within a McKinsey & Company study, which reveals that 53% of employees report decreased personal productivity and engagement on Fridays. Fridays have noticeably become the new frontier for achieving work-life balance. For those with the flexibility to choose their remote workdays, you can bet your bottom dollar Friday is the top pick.

So, major events like the Euros further complicate efforts to maintain productivity, especially when faced with those 5 pm kick-offs on a Friday, such as the recent Spain vs Germany match. If we dared to survey the office population with a special focus on the men, (but not forgetting the football obsessed females), we'd bet a year’s coffee supply that work magically wrapped up by 3 pm. 

Many make a swift exodus to the pub at 3, and are then glued to the screen by 5. Let’s face it, in the lead up to the game, the elusive metric of productivity dwindles and becomes futile as boardroom chatter quickly shifts from spreadsheets to squad-lineups. The excitement of the matches tends to blur the lines between ‘working from home’ and ‘watching football [at] home.’ Plus, With Wimbledon in full swing and the Paris Olympics on the horizon, employers might as well wave the white flag.