Why fourteen million Americans will take a sickie on Monday
Christal Hayes, USA Today, Feb. 2, 2018
Washington: About 14 million Americans are in the hunt for a halfway convincing excuse to take a sick day on Monday.
A new survey released by the Workforce Institute at Kronos and Mucinex says an estimated 13.9 million Americans will call in sick on Monday after Super Bowl LII, making it one of the biggest sick days of the year.
The Monday after the Super Bowl has become notorious for calling out of work. Last year, 16.5 million Americans said they planned to call in sick because of the game, according to a study done last year by the same companies.
“We’ve been researching the Big Game’s effect on the workforce for more than a decade and while numbers may fluctuate each year, one clear fact remains: #SuperSickMonday is often the biggest day in America for calling out of work,” said Joyce Maroney, Executive Director, The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated.
The numbers could go up, too, because of a harsh flu season this year.
Cases of influenza have risen sharply across the nation, according to the Centres for Disease Control. This year is on track to be as bad the 2014-15 outbreak that caused an estimated 56,000 deaths, federal health officials said.
“There’s been a bad flu strain this year and it may have an impact on people calling out on Monday, but we don’t anticipate it playing a major role in changing the stats,” said Brian Dolan, Equity Lead for US Health at RB, which owns Mucinex.
He said what coast you live on could play a small role due to differing time zones, but most people will still be up late with the post-game show and parties.
The survey, which was given to more than 2000 people, also found that 25 percent feel the day after the Big Game should be considered a holiday.
For years, people have rallied around the idea. Last year, Heinz even started a petition to take the matter to Congress. The company also gave its employees the day off, citing that even if employees do come into work, productivity drops significantly.
Even a whopping 72 per cent of human resource managers agree the day should be designated a holiday.
Over the years, one in five Americans said they have called in sick the Monday after the Super Bowl, according to the survey.
About 26 percent of employees calling in sick post-Super Bowl tell their employers they have a fever. Fourteen percent said a sore throat and 12 percent said headache.
