Workplace conversations will likely be dominated Monday by talk of the Super Bowl: the game, the halftime show and the commercials.
But a predictably large number of people will be absent from the workplace Monday. According to a Change.org petition by Heinz, 16 million Americans call in sick to work on the Monday after the Super Bowl — "Smunday," as the company calls it — and workplaces collectively lose out on about $1 billion in diminished productivity from the people who do show up.
"If you're up and even thinking of calling in sick, your employer is going to know you're faking it," Fort Worth Human Resource Management Association marketing director Patty Revis said.
Those who do manage to make it in to work, but spend the day discussing the big game are doing both themselves and their employer a disservice, Revis said.
"As soon as an HR a director or your boss turns his back you're back to whipping out your iPhone and showing your coworkers that funny commercial that showed a baby, or a horse or a dog," Revis said. "We all know that it was a great commercial, but save it for your lunch hour. Save it for your break time. Loss of productivity is a huge thing the Monday after the Super Bowl."
