Dear Boss,
Please excuse my absence today as I am feeling very poorly and am not able to function at my job. I would be even worse than [insert losing Super Bowl quarterback’s name] was in the fourth quarter yesterday, and the vise-like throbbing in my brain would require that we keep the lights off and whisper softly. It’s best if I stay home. I look forward to seeing you Tuesday.
Your most sincere employee,
Me
If you are the one in ten U.S. workers who will miss work on Monday after the Super Bowl we’ve taken the liberty of assisting with a note to your employer.
The practice is so common it has even earned a name in the American lexicon: “Hangover Monday.” Some HR experts say there is a higher rate of employee absenteeism on the Monday following the Super Bowl than any other day of the year.
If this is like years past, expect roughly sixteen-and-a-half million Americans to fail to make it to the office. Another seven-and-a-half million will show up late. 34% of those who don’t make it in and 21% of late-arrivers will be nursing a hangover.
POLL: Should the day after Super Bowl be a paid holiday?
If you are the boss looking cut back on absenteeism the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday, start today, advises Houston employment attorney Stephen Roppolo, Regional Managing Partner with Fisher & Phillips. “The best thing to do is make sure employees understand before the Super Bowl weekend begins that they are expected to be at work on Monday. It’s not a holiday. Work still needs to be done.” He suggests enticements Monday morning may help. “Whether you bring in kolaches and have breakfast or you schedule something the employees have been looking forward to later in the afternoon. Anything to make sure people show up to work and are as productive as they can be.”
You need your employees happy and engaged, because March Madness is right around the corner.