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WM during the shift?
This is only possible by arrangement (symbolic photo)
Photo: RgStudio/Getty Images
The ratings at the World Cup in Qatar are just melting away.
Anyone who has decided to follow the controversial tournament anyway is faced with the legitimate question before the German team's first game against Japan: Can I also watch football during working hours?
From 2 p.m. Germany will also play in this World Cup, in the Khalifa International Stadium west of the capital Doha.
This is a challenge for employees who want to watch football.
"Because even during a World Cup, working time is working time - and you don't watch football there," says Nicole Mutschke, a specialist lawyer for labor law from Bielefeld.
That means: If the boss does not agree, then the World Cup at the workplace is taboo.
Talk to your supervisor in advance
Although it is generally okay if employees also use their business internet access for private purposes, this hardly includes streaming a World Cup game for 90 minutes.
Checking the score from time to time should be okay though.
“You should talk to your manager first.
If you act on your own, you risk a warning, it happens repeatedly and you are charged, even a dismissal,” says Mutschke.
A 2017 ruling by the Cologne Labor Court shows that courts are quite rigorous here: A Ford worker sued against a warning that he received after watching snippets of the Europa League game Fenerbahçe Istanbul against Lokomotiv Moscow during his shift .
The warning was legal, the judges decided, the man had violated his contractual obligations.
It is also a legal borderline case when the radio is on in the office during a game.
This is common practice in many companies anyway, but it is crucial that listening to the radio should not keep you from work.
Whether this is the case in an exciting game is probably a matter of opinion.
Postpone your lunch break or take a vacation right away?
It's not the first time that World Cup games have taken place when the cashier has to collect the money, the baker has to bake and the nurse has to look after people.
The games against Mexico and South Korea also took place in the afternoon in the German preliminary round in Russia, as did the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
"If you work for one employer for three or more World Cups and the games are always watched in the office during working hours, then that should also be fine for the fourth World Cup," says Mutschke.
In employment law, this is called operational practice.
However, since there is no explicit regulation for a company exercise, it is rarely clear whether football is really allowed to be watched during working hours.
In order to avoid such ambiguities at an early stage, employers should try to reach agreements with the works council that working hours will be redistributed during the World Cup so that everyone can watch football.
That way everyone knows - and you save yourself unnecessary stress.
A company party is possible – but at this World Cup?
Another option would be to move your lunch break: this way you can watch at least a few minutes of the game.
However, since the location of the break times is generally determined by the employer, you should seek a discussion here yourself.
If you want to watch the 90 minutes in a completely relaxed manner, the best way to do it is while on vacation: The games in the preliminary round have been scheduled for a long time, so employees can plan long-term.
Taking time off spontaneously during the tournament can sometimes be more difficult.
In principle, supervisors must grant the days off and take the employee's vacation requests into account.
However, if operational reasons do not allow this or if the sick leave in the department is too high, the boss can also refuse the vacation.
The same applies if you want to swap jobs in shifts.
Soccer-crazy employers simply turn the tables and turn the broadcast into a company party: The company can then even have drinks and snacks delivered at a tax-privileged rate.
Employers can spend up to 110 euros per employee on meals without having to pay taxes on this »monetary benefit«.
And even if a colleague had a mishap while cheering, accident insurance would always take effect.
