Feb 7, 2024 - Sports

About 16.1 million employees may come down with "Super Bowl Flu"

Analis Bailey

Illustration of an icepack on a football. — Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

The day after Super Bowl LVIII, about 16.1 million employees are expected to come down with "Super Bowl Flu," according to the UKG Workforce Institute.

Why it matters: So many employees call off on "Super Sick Monday," petitions and even state lawmakers are trying to make it an official holiday.

Between the lines: Around 14.5 million adults have admitted to lying about being sick after the Super Bowl, 11% being managers, reports the UKG.

Six million of those employees will risk a workplace penalty for their absence.
About 10 million people have already requested the day off.

What they're saying: "Any major cultural event is a chance to bring people together and, for leaders, a chance to acknowledge that we have lives outside of work," UKG CEO Chris Todd told Axios.

The other side: Anticipated absences are slightly down from last year, when 18.8 million employees said they would not show up for work after the Super Bowl.

Our thought bubble: Absences could be down this year because the game is a rematch of Super Bowl LIV in 2020, when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20.

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About 16.1 million employees may come down with "Super Bowl Flu"

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