Millions of U.S. workers will be tuning into the Super Bowl this Sunday. But how many will be at work the next day?
An estimated 16.1 million U.S. employees are expected to miss work the Monday after Super Bowl LVIII, according to new research from The Workforce Institute at UKG, which has tracked the trend since 2005.
Cases of the so-called "Super Bowl Flu" emerge annually across America, with an estimated 14.5 million workers admitting they’ve called in sick to work when they weren’t actually sick on the Monday after the Super Bowl, according to UKG.
This year, roughly 1 out of every 7 employees (14%) — an estimated 22.5 million people — are likely to miss at least some work on "Super Sick Monday," including a combined 16.1 million employees not planning to go to work, and 6.4 million who plan to start work late, according to the research.
For the most part, employers will be blindsided by absences. The data shows only 10 million workers plan to take a pre-approved personal day while the rest will risk a workplace penalty for faking sick or "ghosting" work altogether and not showing up.
The research also shows 11.2 million employees are "not sure" whether they'll miss work, and an additional 6.4 million employees will decide at the last minute what to do.
The number of anticipated absences for 2024 is down slightly from last year, when 18.8 million employees said they planned to miss work.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
Despite so many people taking part in "Super Sick Monday," the data shows more than a third of workers (35%) wouldn't feel comfortable asking their manager for time off the day after the Super Bowl in advance, with around 7% of employees (about 11.2 million) believing they'd be reprimanded just for asking.
For those who tough it out and make it to work on Monday, more than a quarter of employees (28%) — an estimated 45.1 million people — say they'll be less productive than usual, according to the research.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok