Police officers in Scotland reportedly took an increase in sick days during key World Cup matches earlier this summer, according to reports. Police Scotland acknowledged experiencing spikes in absences on particular dates in June, the same month Scotland competed in the tournament.
The World Cup fixtures Scotland participated in were against Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil. These matches took place in Boston and Miami.
While Police Scotland confirmed the correlation between the World Cup and absence rates, other sectors in Scotland did not experience similar surges. Workforce data from IRIS Software Group indicated that sickness rates in Scotland remained below the typical baseline of 0.95 percent following late-night tournament games. Sickness absence was recorded below 1 percent after Scotland's matches on June 14 and June 25. HR experts suggested that concerns about widespread "sickies" largely did not materialize in many sectors, partly because many games occurred outside standard UK working hours.
However, police officers do not adhere to a standard nine-to-five schedule. Those working late or early shifts may have found it difficult to watch games played at inconvenient times. Officers finishing late shifts might have stayed up to watch the matches, subsequently calling in sick for their next shift.
A report from Police Scotland stated, "There is some evidence that the World Cup has had an influence on absence rates. There are spikes of absence reporting on particular dates in June."
These reported absences occur amid broader challenges within Police Scotland, which is facing significant working time losses that are reportedly seven times higher than the average in other sectors. Between April and June, overall absence stood at approximately 7 percent, with long-term sickness continuing to rise among both officers and civilian staff. During this three-month period, officers lost 39,078 working days to long-term absence, while civilian staff accounted for an additional 16,920 days. Short-term absences also contributed to the pressure, with thousands more working days lost due to shorter periods of sick leave.
The force acknowledges that staffing levels are under strain, with a substantial number of employees unavailable for operational duties for various reasons. A Police Scotland spokesperson stated, "The health and welfare of our officers and staff remains one of our highest priorities with enhanced provisions from both our Employee Assistance and Your Wellbeing Matters programmes. We constantly monitor absence rates to ensure we continue to provide the best policing service to our communities."