This Japanese sports fan showed his gratitude for his leave being approved. Photo / FIFA World Cup; Twitter
This Japanese sports fan showed his gratitude for his leave being approved. Photo / FIFA World Cup; Twitter
Japan’s stunning performance at the Fifa World Cup is something fans wouldn’t miss for anything.
One fan who had his leave approved just in time has gone viral, spotted in the crowd during Japan’s 2 - 1 victory against Germany last Thursday.
The NTT East employee was seen holding a sign reading: “Dear My Boss Thank you for my Two Week off!”
Picked up by the official twitter account of the tournament, it has since garnered 150,000 likes and sparked a discussion about taking leave for major events.
In Japan, which has a notoriously dedicated work culture and only 10 statutory days annual leave, negotiating time off can be difficult. It’s not only companies giving employees less leave but a reluctance to use holidays. Japan recently revised its Labour Standards Act to force employees to take “at least” 5 days off a year.
Just a few years ago, taking a fortnight off to watch soccer would have been unheard of.
“I’ve been in Japan for 19 years but I’ve very rarely seen any of my friends getting 2 weeks of holiday,” read one comment on the tweet. “Don’t let him do too much overwork when he comes back.”
After the historic victory over Germany last week, taking the time off will seem doubly worth it.
The polite fan was no exception, as Qatar was delighted by the Samurai Blues’ tradition of cleaning the stadium. These classy sports fans can come again.
1.2 million fans heading to Qatar for the 29-day football tournament adds up to a lot of leave and empty offices.
Every year employers deal with a degree of sports truantism. Especially in a World Cup year, for a sport which holds as passionate a base as football, there will be some fans in the stands whose bosses are blissfully unaware.
Last year an English woman was sacked for “pulling a sickie” to watch the Uefa Cup semi Final at Wembley.
Nina Farooqi was spotted in the crowd after a TV broadcast picked her out celebrating an equalising goal. The joyous moment went viral, picked up on social media, and it did not escape her boss’s attention.
Nina Farooqi,centre, was given the sack after bunking off work for a last-minute ticket to watch England at Wembley, last year. Photo / Instagram
The cladding company told the Daily Mail that they had been forced to terminate Farooqi’s employment when it was clear she had “lied”.
“We had no choice but to take the appropriate action. As a business we value honesty and integrity, and we don’t tolerate any employee taking advantage of our policies.
Kiwis thinking of taking ‘extra time’ next year when the Women’s World Cup arrives in New Zealand should think carefully about what they tell the boss.
Abuse of sick leave, bereavement leave is “serious misconduct” and grounds for termination of employment. On the whole, since the pandemic employment lawyers have seen more flexibility around leave and work arrangements.
While looking for a GP to prescribe you seats at the football is just as morally dubious you could always ask for the time off.
At the risk of appearing sycophantic, it can help to have your hand written sign ready for when you’re in the stands. Just in case you need to ask for more leave.
