BUSINESSES are gearing up for this summer's football spectacular with special arrangements being put in place to allow staff to cheer their country on to World Cup glory.

With the opening match between South Africa and Mexico taking place tomorrow and England's opener against the USA the following day — offices around the country are making preparations to avoid staff calling in sick but still enabling them to watch the tournament's big matches.

England's first two matches are on Saturday and Friday evening but their third game is an afternoon kick off on a Wednesday which poses the biggest problem for employers.

Among those making plans is MSM, based at the Matford Business Park, which is installing a 65in plasma television especially for the event and staff have already decked the office out in a wide range of England memorabilia.

Managing director Thomas Coles said: "We knew there would likely be a lot of demand but we have decided to embrace it rather than worry about absences.

"The expectation is that staff will down tools just before kick off and we operate a very flexible approach."

Elsewhere in the city other major employers are also getting in the spirit.

Airline Flybe will be allowing all office-based staff to watch the England game.

A spokesman said: "Whenever England are playing we will be putting together a communal area for office-based staff.

"We are operating a common sense approach and we have big screens here anyway.

"I am sure that there will be plenty of people clustering around them.

"The issue of staff supporting other countries has not been raised as an issue but we will treat that sympathetically.

"Everyone works extraordinarily hard and puts in a lot of hours and the World Cup is once every four years so we have very much a common sense approach to it."

A spokesman for EDF Energy said: "Existing TV screens in our break-out areas will be switched to World Cup coverage so people can keep up to date with the tournament during their breaks."

A spokesman for Exeter City Council said: "All the normal council rules apply for the World Cup. Any member of staff wanting to watch a match starting at 3pm must take a half day off as leave or flexi-leave. Otherwise staff must leave at the usual time allowed as part of their employment."

But David Shephard, Federation for Small Businesses Devon policy chairman, said: "Employers need to start engaging with their staff to make sure they put plans in place to cater for those employees that want to watch the football, as well as those that don't and might want to work overtime during this period.

"Both employers and their staff need to look at celebrating the World Cup realistically. "Employers need to be aware of the impact that unplanned absence could have on their ability to trade and employees need to know that throwing a sickie rather than asking for time off could result in disciplinary procedures."

For more advice for firms and coping with the World Cup, see page 26.

If you have a World Cup story contact reporter Tom Bevan on 01392 442229.