1 in 10 Brits are planning to ‘pull a sickie’ if England defeat Columbia in the first of their knock-out games tonight. The research, commissioned by comms company Centropy and conducted by independent polling company Censuswide over the weekend quizzed 2,000 members of the public over whether they would consider skipping work if Gareth Southgate’s team prevail.
A total of 16 per cent said they were considering calling in sick in the event of an England victory, with 7 per cent saying they are definitely going to do so, with 8 per cent saying they ‘possibly’ would. Current employment figures suggest there are 32.39 million people in work in the UK, equating to more than 5,182400 workers failing to turn up for work if the Three Lions beat their opponents.
The research also quizzed members of the public about their viewing habits around tonight’s match. The majority (45 per cent) will be watching the game at home, the pub (7 per cent), at a friend’s house (5 per cent) and in the office (2 per cent). 34 per cent said they have no plans to watch the game.
The poll also ranked new items purchased for the world cup, which included a new England shirt (7 per cent), a new BBQ (6 per cent), a new TV (5 per cent) and one respondent claimed to have bought a hot tub.
Steven George-Hilley, founder Centropy PR comments:
“If we win tonight, I’ll be allowing every member of staff to work from home. This is a really important moment for the country, we need everyone to get behind Gareth and our boys to take England all the way to the final!”
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.