The day people are most likely to call out sick is…
Many people think Black Friday, Christmas Eve or a person’s birthday as the most use sick day of the year. However, SHRM estimates 17.5 million people may miss work on the Monday after the Super Bowl. Of those, 4.7 million employees plan to call in sick even though they may not be ill.
In addition to people calling out sick, an estimated 22 Million are expected to arrive late, leave early or work from home. The phenomenon is not just restricted to front line employees. It is estimated more than 1/3 of senior/executive levels leaders say they may not work normal hours on the Monday after the Super Bowl.
There are many who suggest the day after the Super Bowl to be a National Holiday. However, it is very difficult to get this approved through Congress. A report from 1999 stated that each federal holiday costs taxpayers $200 million, which is the primary reason cited against adding more. The NFL is looking to add a 17th game and extra bye week in order to have the Super Bowl fall on President’s Day weekend. This will become a point of contention in the next collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association.
How do companies overcome the expected 12% of their workforce to be out? Here are some suggestions:
- Announce a late-start option for workers who would like to shift their schedule.
- Offer a free breakfast for workers who make it to work on-time
- Give employees 2 free bottles of water to help with the ‘hangover’
- Have employees pick a team and the winner gets to come in an hour late with pay while the loser must come in on-time
