Major supermarkets and business owners across the country are giving staff members a lie-in on Monday to recover from the drama of watching England play Spain in the final of the Euros.
The game starts at 8pm and could last until 11pm if it goes to penalties. In preparation, some companies are offering workers early finishes if they are due to be on shift on the evening of the game, while others are telling employees they can come in late on Monday.
The supermarket chain Lidl, a sponsor of the tournament, said it would open all its stores in England an hour later on Monday so workers could enjoy some post-match celebrations.
Ryan McDonnell, the chief executive of Lidl in Great Britain, said: “We know how much this game means to England fans and we want to ensure that our colleagues have the chance to celebrate such a significant moment in English football history.”
Tesco said it would close its more than 1,800 Express stores at 7.30pm instead of the usual 10 or 11pm on Sunday to allow employees to watch the final. It promised to allow thousands of staff to get home or to the pub in time for kick-off while still receiving their normal pay for those hours.
Sainsbury’s is also closing convenience stores and petrol filling stations across England early.
It’s not just retailers planning a late start: the drinks brand Dash Water said employees could start work at a later time of 10.30am on Monday so they could enjoy the game without having to worry about waking up early.
The marketing agency FlamePR is closing its office in London on Monday and allowing staff to work from home. If England win, they will also be allowed to start later. The creative PR agency PrettyGreen is offering all staff a free large pizza delivery at any point over the weekend and a lie-in until 11am on Monday.
Woodlands primary school in Hertfordshire posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it knew that “a number of children will be watching the match and going to bed late” on Sunday and it would leave registrations open until the later time of 9.25am on Monday.
The comedian John Bishop told fans who had booked to see his show in Wolverhampton on Sunday that the start time would be moved. “I am not doing the show at 8pm,” he said in a video posted to X. “The show will get moved to the afternoon … Anyone who cannot make it will get a refund.”
Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester Business School, said: “People may celebrate if England wins and stay up later, so it is better to be flexible as an employer. You could say come in whenever you want … or say when you do come in let’s celebrate.”
