Tens of millions of Americans will be gathered in front of the TV on Sunday, Feb. 11 to watch the Super Bowl, the commercials, Usher, Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift.
And after all that football, entertainment, food, and merriment, millions of Americans will be absent from work the next day.
Over the years there have even been growing calls for the Monday after the Super Bowl to be designated a national holiday. In a survey conducted by HR software company UKG, over 16 million Americans expressed intentions to miss work the day after the Super Bowl.
"Six million of them are either going to fake being sick or completely ghost their employer that day," UKG CEO Chris Todd said.
But here's some positive news. Expected absences on Super Bowl Monday in 2024 are showing a slight decrease compared to last year when 18.8 million employees indicated they would be absent from work.
In another encouraging trend, approximately 10 million U.S. workers have proactively requested the day off in advance. This proactive approach not only benefits the employees but also assists their managers and companies in effectively managing the anticipated absences related to the game.
As for that national holiday possibility, Todd said 37% of Americans surveyed believe it should be. But regardless of the decision, Todd said that both employers and employees should treat it like a holiday due to the high number of anticipated absences.
"Great managers, great businesses will keep it simple. They should treat it like a holiday because their employees are treating it like a holiday," he said.
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.
Planning ahead and being upfront about intentions, according to Todd, helps the company as a whole.
"It builds a culture of trust within the organization, which is good for businesses," Todd said. "Organizations that have that culture of trust just perform better than others do."
Todd also shared tips for employers to better manage big cultural moments like the Super Bowl. He emphasized the importance of open, honest, and frank conversation and suggested being creative in motivating employees.
For example, at UKG, they have implemented a "no meeting Monday morning" policy after the Super Bowl, allowing employees to ease back into the workplace.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok