Assuming there is a television in the tiny Venezuelan community where I will be working next week, it will be difficult to resist the opportunity to watch the England and Paraguay World Cup match, writes Richard Donkin

Much of my work for that week will involve wading up to the waist and casting for bonefish and giant trevally. However, if the opportunity presents itself I may sneak away from the toil to watch some football, along with a few million others who will be looking to put their work to one side during the tournament.

Should we feel guilty? Is our love of sport going to cost workplaces billions of euro in lost productivity? Will my fishing skills suffer?

It is not unusual to read dire warnings about absenteeism before a great sporting occasion, but according to a study published last week by the Social Issues Research Centre on behalf of Hudson, a recruitment company, sport can be good for the workplace.

The report suggests that two common perceptions of the influence of sport may need some rethinking. The first is that watching or participating in sport gets in the way of work. The second is that mixing sport and business is a male preoccupation that excludes women from important "bonding" and networking opportunities.

Of 2,000 employees sampled in a YouGov poll, more than two-thirds of the women said they thought managements should make better use of sport to boost morale and productivity.

One-fifth of respondents thought big sporting events could disrupt their concentration and productivity. But there was also a strong belief in the potential of such events to boost staff morale and produce net gains in productivity.

Instead of worrying about the negative impact of the World Cup, the report recommended that managers worked to harness the excitement and enthusiasm among employees surrounding the event.

Asda, the supermarket business, is working towards this goal by instigating a "World Cup leave" policy, offering staff the opportunity to take a maximum of two weeks' unpaid leave during the tournament. Imaginative shift-swapping arrangements will also allow employees to plan their work around the games.

But why should unpaid leave be restricted to sporting events? Employers, particularly those that provide generous periods of leave, should not be expected to provide even more paid leave. But where there is room for flexibility, why don't more employers offer options for people to take unpaid leave?

It should not be beyond the wit of a modern HR department to work out the impact on pay and pensions. In fact, it could lead to considerable pay bill savings at companies with employees who are willing to trade money for time. The same employees are also likely to be more committed to their work when in the workplace.

Half of the men and one-third of the women questioned thought sport improved the general mood at work. One-third of all those surveyed thought that sport could break down boundaries between colleagues.

I have found sailing a great leveller between men and women. At present, I am training with Sailing Logic Racing, a specialist company based in Southampton that concentrates on developing sail racing teams.

Not only is the team an evenly proportioned mixture of men and women, but there is also a broad age range.

Sail racing requires many of the things expected of a workplace team - concentration, decision-making, accountability. The best teams manage to work well as units without shouting or apportioning blame, because no matter how much you know, you never stop learning.

If only all work could be like that.