Super-Sick Monday? 1 in 5 Super Bowl viewers expected to miss work the next day

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The estimates were released by The Workforce Institute at UKG, a human resources organization, based on an online survey of more than 1,200 employed U.S. adults. The group has tracked the Super Bowl-skip phenomenon since 2005.

According to the findings, roughly one out of five people, or an estimated 26.6 million, are likely to miss some amount of work on Monday after a primetime Sunday game whose kickoff is slated for around 6:30 p.m. Eastern time and includes a halftime spectacle that runs longer than that in a typical game: Rihanna is this year’s headliner, after all. Plus, there’s the post-game hoopla, during which Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes could be getting another confetti shower. Or will it be his younger rival, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts? In which case, notoriously riotous revelers in Philly could be in for a long night.

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The 26.6 million figure includes the 18.8 million workers who have zero intention of reporting to work on Monday at all, and the 7.8 million who plan to start work late.

Since 2010, Super Bowl viewership has reached at least 100 million in all but three years, according to online betting house DraftKings. Those three games came in recent years, with 2022, 2021, and 2019 failing to reach the 100-million mark. Still the Super Bowl has seen an average of 106.16 million viewers over the last 13 years. It is the largest single U.S.-watched sports event, but trails behind global viewership for FIFA World Cup’s biggest matches.

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Still, the post-big game Monday skip has become so common, in fact, that many workplaces deal with it preemptively by granting personal days and showing appreciation for the heads up over the last-minute sick call.

An estimated 10.9 million employees are planning to take a pre-approved personal day for the Monday after the Super Bowl this year, according to the report.

Others haven’t entirely worked out their game plan.

• Some will decide at the last minute on what to do (9.4 million);

• Others will “ghost” their work, or not show up and not tell anyone they won’t be working (4.7 million);

• And some feel the need to lie. They will call in sick even if they’re not actually sick (3.1 million).

Several surveyed shift workers stuck working during the big game on Sunday admitted that, while they will show up, they may be a shell of their usual selves. Roughly 21.9 million said they will watch the game while at work on Sunday, with about 51.8 million admitting that they’ll be less productive at work on the Monday after the Super Bowl. 

Management can be just as guilty, it seems.

The report revealed that 23% of managers also plan to miss work or report late on that day. In advance of missing work (either part of the day or the whole day) on the Monday after the Super Bowl, just 6% of people managers plan to notify their direct reports or teams.

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“We’re all human and all have lives outside of work. There are going to be times when we want to miss work to participate in a big cultural moment like the Super Bowl,” said Jarik Conrad, executive director of The Workforce Institute.

Addressing the spirit of such absenteeism, and making sure ahead of time that duties are covered and that non-Super Bowl fans don’t feel overburdened, can help foster workplace goodwill.

“When you empower your managers to have a stake in setting the tone for their organization — when you train them to model trust and accountability, and to demonstrate workplace values indicative of a great place to work — then that ripple will uplift your entire organization,” Conrad said.

To the same end, the survey’s findings around the “Super Sick Monday” lies reflect a gap between staff and management when it comes to workplace culture.

A separate CareerBuilder survey shows that while about half (49%) of employees say they have a paid time off (PTO) program that allows them to use their time off however they choose, 23% of those workers say they still feel obligated to make up an excuse for taking a day off.

“If workers are feeling too afraid to chat with their managers about being out, there are likely large cracks in the culture foundation,” the Workplace Institute said in an analysis.