With FOX encouraging people to take #SuperMonday off work following its airing of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 2, should companies be worried about the day after the Super Bowl hurting productivity?
Some relevant stats from staffing firm OfficeTeam shed a little light on the matter:
- 72 percent of HR managers said that Monday should be a paid national holiday;
- 55 percent of employees have discussed a major sports event with co-workers the day after;
- More than a quarter of workers (26 percent) feel less productive the day after a big game;
- One in five employees (20 percent) have taken a planned day off from work following a major sports event, with more men (27 percent) than women (12 percent) taking time off; and
- Professionals spend an average of 34 minutes a day talking to colleagues about non-work topics, with men identifying major sporting events as the hottest topic discussed at work, while women pointed to office gossip.
Think making the Monday after the Super Bowl into a paid national holiday sounds ridiculous? It actually might not be a bad idea considering more than one-quarter of employees (27 percent) admitted they’ve called in sick or made an excuse for skipping work following a major sporting event, such as the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or World Series. Nearly one-third of professionals (32 percent) have been tardy to the office the day after watching a big game.
Additional study findings include:
- Employees ages 18 to 34 (40 percent) and males (36 percent) have most frequently called in sick or made an excuse for skipping work after a major sporting event. Sixteen percent of women have done so.
- Workers ages 18 to 34 (44 percent) and men (42 percent) were also most commonly late to the office the day following a big game. That compares to 20 percent of females.
- More than half of professionals (54 percent) know someone who’s called in sick or made an excuse for skipping work following a big game. That’s up from 41 percent four years ago. In a separate survey, senior managers identified playing hooky the day after (42 percent) as the most distracting or annoying employee behavior when it comes to sports, a 20-point jump from a similar survey in 2017.
Maybe just giving everyone #SuperMonday off of work isn’t such a crazy idea after all.
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