The ultimate guide to watching the World Cup at work

13. Cool Boss Jen

That Jen, right? Great to work for. Always smiling. Working in positive reinforcement instead of negative any time she can. Every once in a while she’ll bring in donuts or maybe cater a lunch if the sales team hits their marks. She is all about morale and promoting a healthy working environment. That company softball team? Her idea.

So when she says in a group meeting “It’s okay that you watch some of the World Cup, just don’t let it interfere with your important tasks,” it seems easy to take it at face value. It probably feels like it’s more than okay to have the window up when she passes by. She might even ask you what the score is. See? She understands! She said as much!

But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t noted it. There’s a little tally being drawn up in her head. Matt has been seen watching the World Cup five times in the last week. Carol? Seven. Sebastian? 23. Mike, Nora, and Orangio? Zero.

So when time comes for raises, and there’s only so much money to go around, what’s going to be the tiebreaker? She knows that Mike, Nora and The Big O can fight off distraction. She knows Sebastian can let those distractions get to him. She may never say as much, but she’ll think it.

Think which camp you want to be in. You gotta be a little paranoid. Sure, paranoia leads to a hostile workplace, and then no one is happy. But what’s more important — happiness or a promotion you’re not sure you want? Exactly.