Leading Singapore companies unveiled a campaign to encourage other employers to give their football-mad employees the day off work when the World Cup ends on July 10.
The Straits Times, Singapore's national newspaper, and Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) are asking Singaporeans to vote on the campaign either on a website or by sending messages on their mobile phones to a designated number.
The movement, called "Extra Time Off", encourages football-crazy employees to send text messages or pictures of them partying during the World Cup through an MMS (multi-media messaging service) to the number.
More than 700 staff from at least eight companies, including staff at the newspaper, have already been allowed to start work at 11 am or after lunch that day, the Straits Times said.
"We have many soccer fans in our newsroom," Straits Times editor, Han Fook Kwang said.
"When we first learnt what other companies were planning to do, we at once thought it was a great opportunity for us ... to partner APBS to launch this campaign," he said.
APBS, a unit of the Singapore-listed brewery company that makes Tiger Beer, Heineken and ABC Stout, is allowing its 100-strong sales team to start work after noon on July 10.
The Straits Times will tabulate the votes daily and reflect the count on the website. As early as Saturday morning, 94 people had voted for extra time-off.
Bosses concede that their employees will be hard pressed to turn up for work only hours after the final match ends in the early hours of July 10 in Singapore.
"We don't want to pressure them to come early, so they get more leeway," said Roy Tan, director of Howling Wolves Wine Group, a wine retailer.
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DOES YR COMPANY GIVE YOU TIME OFF 4 TIS WORLD CUP?? 
