It’s less than three months to the London 2012 Olympics, meaning it’s time for purveyors of remote working solutions to release surveys about how employers will shortly be allowing their staff to work from the Moon.

Maybe such employers are better advised to keep a tighter reign on their workforce. Apparently UK organisations are struggling to cope with London 2012 Olympic staffing challenges, as many employees (21 per cent) are ‘willing to take unauthorised time off to watch high profile events’. Even the risk of being caught is not a deterrence it seems, and UK bosses admit that skivers are likely to go unpunished.

Research undertaken by business continuity provider SunGard Availability Services reveals only 22 per cent of workers think their organisation is prepared for disruption brought about by the Olympic Games and only 9 per cent have received communication on flexible working policies for this time, which might explain why so many employees seem to be planning on skiving off work.

With almost a third (31 per cent) of workers expecting holiday packages, new technology devices and flexible working hours to be introduced to their working life, organisations will likely be stretched and in a state of flux as it is – without counting the potential cost of employee absenteeism.

This all coincides with a new Bill to suspend Sunday Trading Laws during the Olympic and Paralympic Games for eight Sundays from 22 July to the end of the Paralympic Games on 9 September, after which the current Sunday trading restrictions will apply again.

The Bill means that shops with a floor area of more than 280 square metres will not be subject to current Sunday trading restrictions during the Games.

Should businesses be thankful of this relaxation of trading rules given the predictions that a chunk of their staff will be off on a jolly? The plan to stay open extra hours to take advantage of a boost in trade could be undermined by certain employees not pulling their weight.

Business minister Mark Prisk says that this will be a ‘fantastic opportunity to showcase not just London, but the whole of the country to the rest of the world and provide a boost for the economy, sales and employment’. Let’s hope it doesn’t just end up highlighting what a nation of slackers we are.

See also: Are you Britain's small business champion?