Millions Will Call in Sick After the Super Bowl: Here’s Why That’s a Bad Move

Consider these three things before calling in sick.

By Sean Dennison January 31, 2019 Boost Your Career

Super Bowl LIII falls on Feb. 3 this year, which means “Super Sick Monday” is on Feb. 4.
Last year, around 14 million people planned to call in sick.
However, calling in sick when you’re not can be a career killer.

Super Bowl Sunday is basically Christmas for sports fans and people who love screaming (and if you’re both, jackpot). This year, Feb. 3 will see millions of Americans tune in to Super Bowl LIII, featuring the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots.

In a perfect world, gorging yourself on chicken wings, beer and chips ‘n’ dip while shouting yourself hoarse would be a legitimate excuse to call in sick the following Monday. However, most employers frown upon “Super Sick Monday.” Still, that didn’t stop nearly 14 million employees from planning to call out sick for the day after last year’s Super Bowl, according to a survey by Mucinex. This year, that number is expected to jump to over 17 million, the largest expected level of workforce absences related to the Super Bowl.

You’re Putting Your Job in Jeopardy

Not every sick day should be seen as getting out of work by an employer, but there are certain events, like Super Bowl Sunday, that make the proximity to your sick day a wee bit suspicious. For the most part, it’s impossible for your employer to really know whether you’re sick or not. But if you’re calling in because you need to emotionally recover after your team loses, you might want to lay low for the day.

Your manager would have grounds to fire you should they discover your absenteeism. And it’s no wonder the Monday after is a hard time for employers to weather. Super Bowl 2018 was expected to potentially cost businesses at least an estimated $3 billion, CNBC reported.

You’re Wasting a Sick Day

This might seem obvious, but why not save that sick day for when you’re actually sick? Individual policies vary, but not a lot of people get that many sick days. Then again, not that many people seem to take them. The average rate for absences related to illness or injury was 2.0 in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, the Super Bowl is not exactly conducive to a healthy lifestyle. From the food choices to the amount of people you’re likely surrounded by, coupled with the fact it takes place in the winter, your Super Bowl party could be called a biological hazard site. So if you do seriously need a sick day, use it.

You Might Have Bigger Problems

Look, no one’s judging — except your employer, obviously — and you can live your life the way you think it’s meant to be lived. But if you find yourself calling in sick over a sports game, particularly when that reason involves a hangover, it might be time to look at the other issues here and deal with them.

Will You Call in Sick After the Super Bowl?

Some other things to consider when calling in sick on Feb. 4 are your co-worker’s workloads, your manager’s perception of you and the work opportunities you could be missing. Calling in sick is probably not the savviest idea even under ideal circumstances, but the silver lining is that you’ll have the solidarity of millions who plan to do the same.

Click through to read more about the best mistakes people make at their jobs.

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