Better viewing pleasure: SS2 Kayu restaurant manager Razak Ali Alkaf testing the channels of the new wide-screen television in preparation for the 2018 World Cup which begins tomorrow.
PETALING JAYA: It’s World Cup mania time again, and football fans are going to be spoilt for choice for a complete month.
Eateries, especially mamak restaurants, have prepped for the sporting extravaganza, with some even going as far as rewiring their outlets to show the matches in full HD.
One such outlet is the popular Original Penang Kayu Nasi Kandar in SS2 here. Its managing director Burhan Mohamed said he began upgrading for the tournament a month ago.
“We’ve been in the business for over 40 years, and have been showing the full list of matches at our outlets for the past five or six World Cups already,” said Burhan.
“In the past, we used plasma TVs. Now, we will be showing the World Cup on full HD via our 65-inch and 55-inch screens,” he said, adding that 12 new LED TVs had also been installed at his Kota Damanrasa outlet.
“We expect bigger crowds this time, because the time difference (between Russia and Malaysia) is quite manageable.”
Doctors spoke about employees and malingerers who try to score medical certificates (MC) during the World Cup season.
In Melaka, Dr Tan Hock Beng said there was always an increase in “patients” seeking MCs during this season.
“I usually put them through a thorough check; you can tell there’s nothing wrong.
“I’ll tell them to take their own leave. Why do you need an MC for this?” he said.
In the Klang Valley, former president of the Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia Dr Jimmy Loi said back in the days before social media, malingering and fake MCs were more prevalent, especially during the Thomas Cup and World Cup.
“These days, GPs discuss among themselves. We share information about who’s been trying to get an MC or new tricks to look out for,” he said.
Karrie Lim, who works for the Human Resources Department in a multinational corporation here, said some employees blocked off big stretches of leave for the World Cup.
“In the past, I’ve known of colleagues who blocked off nearly two weeks of leave, especially when the season progressed to the more interesting rounds,” said Lim.
Economist and executive director for the Socio-Economic Research Centre Lee Heng Guie said as far as he knew, there had been no study conducted on the impact of the World Cup season on workers’ productivity.
“I think because it’s once every four years, employers are also prepared for it. They understand that this isn’t an annual phenomenon.”
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