Expect a record number of "Super Bowl flu" absences

By the numbers: More than 27,000 U.S. workers (nearly 1 in 100) have already scheduled PTO, according to HR platform Bamboo.

• 26.2 million employees may miss work on Monday, workforce analysis from global think tank UKG suggests — which would surpass last year's record of 22.6 million absences.
• Compared with a typical Monday in February, the PTO rate is 26% higher, per Bamboo.

Historically, actual PTO usage on the Monday after the Super Bowl is more than double the early planned requests.

• Since 2021, about 2.3% of employees have taken the day off, compared with 1% who planned ahead, according to Bamboo.

Zoom in: A survey from HR and finance software platform Workday found specific reasons for missing work after a major event include "needing to catch up on sleep" (45%) and "feeling unmotivated" (34%).

• About 27% of respondents admit they will probably be nursing a hangover.

The bottom line: Ahead of Monday, managers should "plan for more unplanned absences and be prepared to prioritize what's most urgent," Kelsey Tarp, director of HR Business Partners at Bamboo, said in a release.