The arrival of the World Cup has a peculiar ability to put the world on pause: plans stall, meetings mysteriously shrink and even the most rigid calendars begin to bend. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that many people organize their summer with the games circled in red. With that in mind, El Economista spoke with several company CEOs about the delicate art of managing the tournament in the workplace.

Experts warn that banning employees from watching the games may simply turn them into undercover fans, following the action by any means available. Even if nobody manages to watch, the frustration of missing out could still ripple through the team.

“Whether or not we like soccer, or how the national team is playing, it’s an event that acts as a collective catalyst,” said Antonio López, co-founder and CEO of VUCA. “For at least three games, people across organizations are aligned, energized and excited to watch their national team. That kind of shared emotion tends to create a sense of collective identity.”

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Asked whether the tournament might dent productivity or create problems for companies, Daniela Blank, CEO of Grow – an organizational culture design agency – said pretending it isn’t happening could backfire.

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“We’re not robots, and productivity isn’t identical every day,” Blank explained. “It may dip a little, but there are ways to manage it so the impact is minimal.”

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Antonio López agrees that strict bans rarely deliver the discipline managers might imagine. If anything, they risk producing a workforce that is technically present but mentally checking score updates every few minutes.

To keep the office atmosphere healthy during the month-long tournament, experts suggest human resources teams do something surprisingly simple: ask employees what they prefer. From there, companies can find practical ways to balance work responsibilities with following the competition.

“Just asking people how they’d like to handle it, and how they could watch the games without neglecting their tasks, can be a good strategy,” Blank suggested.

So, there you have it. Forward this article to your boss, then get ready for a month of top international action. Oh, and if they still say no, don’t worry, we’ll have you covered on the sly throughout the tournament.

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