As we reach the end of the football season and look forward to The Cricket World Cup, what is the impact of the success or failure of a professional sporting team on a company’s performance?

Absence levels may increase during these events, especially after an important win, but will the feel-good factor have an effect on productivity? The successful 2012 London Olympic Games had a dramatic effect on employee morale and feedback also suggests an increase in national productivity. There is also evidence that there is a strong association between the performance of the England football team and subsequent daily changes in the FTSE 100.

A study at the University of Warwick found that happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive. However, some of the academic research in the area suggests that the impact of a successful sports team does not give a measurable economic result and it has also been found that any positivity from the sporting result is very often short-lived and we soon revert back to the status quo.

In short, the impact of sporting performance on business results is not conclusive. Nevertheless, it appears that we should savour the success of our team in the few days after the event, but from a company viewpoint realise that any increase in productivity is short lived. And, if our team is not successful, it will have no long-term effect on our business results anyway!

Although Coppice HR cannot dramatically effect sporting results, we can provide HR support to improve your organisation’s performance. Contact us at paul@coppicehr.com, 07814 008478 or through www.coppicehr.com.

Inspired by: Researchgate – Economic Impact of Sporting Events, The Independent – Economic Effect of Sporting Events, City AM – High Morale, High Profits,  BBC – London 2012