History has another chapter to disclose this Wednesday when the Men in Blue face the “Green Goblin” Pakistan in the semi finals of the World Cup in Mohali. Devoid of being multinationals or domestic, companies are considering half- or full-day leave for employees on 30th March, besides installing TV screens across office premises or made arrangements for special screening of the match to ensure employees get the pulse of the cricketing ties between the two big time cricketing giants that have fought three wars since independence. While refreshments have already started stocking up in the store at some office canteens, others have asked employees to come dressed in blue to cheer Dhoni's men. “In the second half of the day, we are putting up a giant screen and providing refreshments,” Anirudh Dhoot, director, Videocon, said adding in some of our offices, we have auditoriums where employees can also bring their families and enjoy the match. Kids-wear manufacturer Liliput has granted half-day leave to its employees, allowing them to rush back home in time for the match. “We have declared a half-day for the employees to watch the match,” said Sanjeev Narula, managing director, Lilliput Kidswear. Sports goods maker Reebok has put up around 25 giant screens in its Gurgaon office, besides providing 42-inch television sets. Reports also confirmed that work will take a backseat at India Inc on Wednesday. FMCG company Dabur India is weighing an “off” on Wednesday. “The only constraint is that it is yearend closing, so work pressure is quite high at the moment,” said Dabur India executive director A Sudhakar adding the company had declared a holiday on the day of the T20 final between India and Pakistan in 2007 too. Food and beverages major PepsiCo India may allow half-day leave for employees if it doesn't impact the organisation's functioning, said Samik Basu, vice-president (HR) and chief people officer for India Region. Some firms are also looking into work-from-home facility for that day. “If employees want to work from home or leave early to be able to watch the match, we are open to that,” said Ashish Kumar, chief HR officer at multiplex chain operator PVR Ltd, which is screening the match at some of its multiplexes. The firm is also considering an exclusive screening for its employees. Employees of the Future Group's Big Bazaar, the country's largest hypermarket retail chain, will be free to watch the match on large screens installed in stores, said its president, Rajan Malhotra. “The idea is to let employees enjoy the match while at work, because they tend to take leave during such crucial matches,” said S Varadarajan, executive vice-president (HR) at BPO firm Quatrro. The company has in-house contests surrounding the World Cup to give employees a sense of involvement in the sporting event. Salil Kapoor, COO of the country's largest DTH service company Dish TV, said, “We would have special screening of the match in high definition feed for our employees in office and have also tied up with some pubs and clubs with special discounts for our employees.”
