On Monday, 18 June, Belgium played their first World Cup match against Panama. The World Cup was the topic of the day. The game kicked off at 17:00 - a time when many were still at work. The Neutral Syndicate for the Self-Employed conducted a survey. They found that companies who did not do anything special for the WC were flexible with regards to working hours. At the majority of these companies, people were allowed to knock off early. In 18% of the businesses, no heed was paid to the WC.
In the Belgian fruit and vegetable sector, various companies did, however, take the competition into account. At BelOrta, the Belgian flag is always hoisted when 'The Red Devils' play. "It was difficult to watch the match with everyone", says Sofie Lambrecht of BelOrta. "Each of us starts at a different time, so we all finish at different times."
At REO Auctions, people were allowed to start their day earlier and, so, finish earlier. Special Fruit has found a nice way to let everyone to watch the match. "We broadcast the match in one of our conference rooms", says Sarah Hellemans. "Here people could watch with a Belgian beer in hand and some tasty snacks. The first 45 minutes were a bit quiet. However, the second half made up for this."