World Cup at Work

- Thursday, June 10, 2010Security

Network managers across the UK are awaiting the start of the World Cup

Employers and network managers across the UK are now nervously awaiting the start of the World Cup - which kicks off in less than 24 hours. Productivity will plummet and even the largest internet connections will feel the strain as staff stream live video content, download apps, games and wallpaper for their desktops, and check the status of their fantasy teams. 

While most network managers will already be taking steps to block iPlayer and other such streaming media services, company bosses in countries such as the UK (where World Cup fever is rife) are being advised that imposing strict bans on watching games at work may do more harm than good. With a long sport-flavoured summer approaching (Wimbledon, Tour de France, Cricket, Golf and Rugby tournaments are all scheduled in the coming weeks), sys admins would be well advised to find out what the 'official' company line is on such events. Football is not the only fruit and those who are not fans may object to bosses turning a blind eye to footy matches but blocking other sport-based sites. 

Although we see the sense in allowing staff to watch the games, and understand that stopping them may be bad for morale, we would urge employers to think carefully about how they do this - as encouraging workers to use/download iPlayer, and not communicating proper rules could have costly consequences. 

Here are some sensible tips on how you can allow staff to watch the game without streaming content (a single game typically consumes around 750MB of bandwidth) using services like iPlayer (which incidentally you require a TV licence for if you plan to watch in the workplace).
  • Allow staff to work flexible hours (so they can watch the games and make up the time later)
  • Use game watching as an incentive for sales staff (hit x target and we will allow you to go home early to watch the England game)
  • Use it as a team-building exercise - stream it once, get a TV licence and show it on a single screen (much better than letting staff watch on their individual PCs)
  • Let staff listen to games on the radio instead
If you are going to block iPlayer, make sure you also block similar versions of the same thing and make the rules clear to staff. Communicating a formal policy on responsible use of the Internet during the World Cup and other events is a very good idea here. Make sure it covers extras like downloading and playing flash games, and managing fantasy football leagues. Limiting such activities to lunchtimes and breaks is a sensible step too as these have the potential to impact more on productivity than the games themselves. Whilst at it, we also suggest you include a few lines warning click-happy staff of the dangers of ‘World Cup themed’ scams and malware attacks. Finally if your web filter doesn't allow you to set time based rules, and manage streaming media, get Guardian!