The CEO has been criticised for her policy
A boss who let staff have a lie-in after England’s World Cup clash has found herself at the centre of a furious online row. Charly Gillespie-Smith offered employees a later start after the Three Lions v Mexico match if they could prove they had watched it.
While some hailed the move as a brilliant workplace perk, others accused the London CEO of attention-seeking and branded the policy “rage bait”. The founder of social media agency Lasting Lemons told staff they could arrive at 11am instead of 9:30am if they submitted photographic evidence showing they had tuned in to watch England.
The offer quickly went viral online, sparking a flood of criticism from disgruntled social media users. One person said: “Got to be rage bait.”
Another critic added: “Virtue signalling at its best.” Someone else commented: “What a strange email.” A fourth person wrote: “This should definitely be rage bait.”
One other person posted: “Do employees have to show pictures of their vomit if they’re sick?” But Charly defended the decision, insisting it helped create a positive workplace culture.
“I think giving people the chance to enjoy special moments, even when work is busy, helps build a positive environment,” she said. “We’re a social media agency – we work very hard and often across odd hours, so I try to be flexible when big events like the World Cup come around.
“It’s easier to do that when you have a dedicated team. We have a WhatsApp group, and people sent messages like ‘best boss EVER’.”
The email was sent to staff on 2 July ahead of England’s match, with workers able to take advantage of the later start if they provided proof they had been watching. Charly said the policy reflected the company’s approach to flexibility and work-life balance.
She said: “There are 10 of us on the team, and everyone made different choices. Some were big England fans and went out to watch the game, some watched from bed, and others chose to get a good night’s sleep instead.”
As criticism mounted online, members of the Lasting Lemons team rallied to defend their boss. In a video posted on the agency’s TikTok account, one employee said: “Our boss is being cancelled for letting us watch the England game. Surely not?”
Many others backed the idea and said more employers should take a similar approach. One supporter wrote: “This is how every company should be.”
Another fan said: “Now that’s what you call a good good company to work for.”
