India Inc bowled by India-pakistan match
Wednesday, 30 March 2011, 19:34 IST
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India Inc bowled by India-pakistan match
New Delhi: As India-Pakistan cricket fever grips the country,Corporate employees are gearing up to cheer team India during the World Cup semifinal. Six out 10 people in India Inc. will give office a miss when India takes on Pakistan in the World Cup semifinal in Mohali, a survey by the industry lobby Assocham has revealed. In the survey carried out in Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore on 500 corporate employees in 50 offices, most have admitted that they won't be able to concentrate on work properly owing to much hyped India-Pakistan clash. "After nearly three years, India is clashing with Pakistan that too in World Cup semifinals.... I'm eagerly waiting... it will be a high-voltage game, so I will never miss this and I have already got my leave sanctioned," said Rajan S. Mathews, a bank employee working in south Delhi. Around 60 percent of employees from 50 corporate offices have given casual leave applications for today, the survey states. "We have had many employees applying for sick leave. We received over 10 applications from each department. Being a year-ender and the work load is more, so we are giving a leave on today and asking them to work on Sunday," Mangal Ram, Human Resources Head for Intech Technologies, an MNC. According to the survey, around 15 percent of Corporate from Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore have declared a holiday as employees are applying for casual leave on one pretext or the other. Some corporate houses are offering a half-day leave. "Right from office boy to team leaders, everyone has applied for leave. So, we thought better to give half-day leave and be little lenient with the timings. And those who take leave today should work full day Saturday," Anitha Siddiqui, Head of the HR Team in a Private Company, said. Releasing the findings of Assocham survey, D.S. Rawat said, "Indo-Pak matches are more than just cricket. They are closely followed by both cricket followers and non-followers with equal enthusiasm in both the nations. Considering the hysteria of World Cup semifinals, it is a matter of interest to everyone." Many top officials in various corporate offices are a worried lot as they have to balance work and staff crunch. So, they are putting up big projector screens for employees to watch the match in the office. "Thank god, the world cup is once in four years, with attendance being lean for today and due to closing of the financial year we cannot afford to give leave for the match. So, office administration is putting up giant screens in office conference halls and are going to provide free refreshments to the employees," said Anand Srinivasan, assistant accounts manager, in an MNC company in Bangalore. The survey has showed that 30 percent of employees said they have coerced their bosses to allow them to leave early, if team India puts up a good show. Meanwhile, 20 percent employees said they are displeased as their companies have rejected their plea for declaring a half-day leave due to closing of the financial year. As per the survey, Mumbai has received maximum number of casual leave applications, followed by Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Pune. Corporate biggies are also gearing up to cheer team India with leading industry associations making special arrangements to view the live telecast of the match. Around 150 chief executives, business leaders and government officials will gather at Hotel Oberoi where the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is making elaborate arrangements for viewing the live telecast of the match. The match provides an opportunity to tap senior industry and government to check their cricket mania, CII said. Vijay Thadani, incoming chairman of CII Northen region, will host a dinner at Oberoi that will have a full 'sports' ambience, with the hotel staff dressed in team India uniforms, cricket nets and cricket caps. "Around 150 CEOs and senior government officials including Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta will watch the exciting last two hours at the CII dinner together and cheer team India," the Industry Association said. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is making an arrangement for its members to watch the cricket match at a big screen at its headquarters. Companies are also making special arrangements for their employees to watch the match in which India takes on Pakistan in the World Cup semifinal in Mohali, dubbed by many as "super final". The fever has not gotup with Indian audience but has become contengious infections agent among the pakistan audience as well. In this scenario, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has announced a half working day for all the government offices. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani announced a half working day for government offices so that people could watch the cricket World Cup semi-final between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at Mohali. A statement issued by Gilani's office this evening said the Prime Minister had announced a "half-day for tomorrow so that the people could watch the Pakistan-India cricket semi-final". All government offices will close at noon tomorrow, the statement said. Attendance at all government and private offices is expected to be thin tomorrow due to the people's interest in the game that will showcase one of the world's most intense sporting rivalries. In a related development, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said there was "no need to create hype" over the World Cup semi-final as such a development would put unnecessary pressure on the players. "It is just a game and not war between Pakistan and India.
Source: PTI
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