Odds are that as many as 16 million Americans called in sick on the day after Super Bowl LII, in which the Philadelphia Eagles bested the New England Patriots. In fact, the day after the "Big Game" is the most popular day of the year for playing hooky from work. A 2018 survey organized by Mucinex and the Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated found that one in five employed Americans usually miss work on the Monday after the Super Bowl. Even more noteworthy is that a whopping 72 percent of the human resources managers surveyed were in favor of making that day a national holiday.
A losing proposition for employers:
- The HR consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimated that the Monday hangover after the Super Bowl could have cost employers more than $3 billion USD this year in lost productivity.
- Food and beverage company Kraft Heinz gave all of its corporate, salaried workers the day off after last year’s Super Bowl, acknowledging the game’s disastrous effect on workplace efficiency.
- Kraft Heinz also filed a petition to make Super Bowl Monday a national holiday. The petition garnered more than 71,000 signatures, but not enough to send the results to Congress.