Research from Deloitte found excitement is building in the UK business community, with 32% of respondents saying they would be happy for staff to take time out to watch live events and make up hours at the start or end of the working day.
The research provides evidence of business support for the Games, with 44% of companies surveyed intending to encourage staff to attend live events, while 42% plan to install big screens in staff canteens or other communal areas to allow staff to watch their sporting heroes live on TV with colleagues. Over a third of respondents indicated they plan to go to the Games, either as an individual or with colleagues or clients.
Just under a third (30%) of respondents said they would be more understanding if staff have difficulty getting into work during the Games period. Some 11% of companies in London will encourage staff to work more often from client sites further away from Games venues, while 8% will allow greater use of home working. But 60% do not expect to make any changes to their flexible working policy at all.
Stevan Rolls, head of HR at Deloitte, said: "With 26 world championships taking place simultaneously, it is inevitable that staff up and down the country will want to take time out to watch their favourite athletes going for gold. Organisations that adopt a reasonable, open-minded approach to this can create a great feel-good factor in the office. Where businesses are prepared to be innovative, London 2012 may present an opportunity for enhanced employee engagement through themed incentives or the opportunity to trial new working practices.
"Of course, it will be essential for companies to find the right balance and ensure there is no impact on client service levels. Some 29% of our respondents said they will not allow any staff to watch events during working hours and this may reflect the fact that flexible working will be easier for some industries than others," said Rolls.
Deloitte carried out an online survey of 201 senior managers in the last quarter of 2010.
