This blog post was originally published by UKG – inspiring every organization to become a great place to work through HR, pay, workforce management, and culture technology built for all.
Key Takeaways
- Super Bowl Monday continues to drive record workplace absenteeism, costing organizations billions, though more employees are planning ahead with pre-approved time off and shift swaps.
- Frontline-heavy organizations face the greatest risk from unpredictable absences, making proactive scheduling, clear communication, and flexible workforce tools critical.
- As major cultural events increasingly affect attendance year-round, organizations that plan early and empower employees build stronger engagement, trust, and resilience.
For the second consecutive year, Super Bowl Monday is on track to break records for workplace absenteeism. According to UKG’s annual Super Bowl Absenteeism Survey, this will surpass last year’s record of 22.6 million employees and potentially cost organizations more than $5.2 billion in lost work and productivity.
At first glance, those numbers are startling. But after two decades of studying “Super Bowl Fever,” a more nuanced picture is emerging that shows meaningful progress alongside persistent risk.
The most notable shift? More employees are planning ahead. Of the 26.2 million workers who expect to miss work:
- An estimated 13.1 million plan to take a pre-approved day off, continuing a steady upward trend from 10 million in 2024 and 12.9 million in 2025; and
- Another 6.5 million employees plan to swap shifts with a coworker, up significantly from 4.8 million last year.
These behaviors matter, especially when roughly 80% of frontline workers around the world must be physically present at a workplace to do their jobs. These are the employees who keep stores open, hospitals staffed, supply chains moving, and communities functioning. Planned absences and shift swaps give organizations time to prepare, adjust coverage, and reduce strain on frontline teams. This is a sharp contrast to the last-minute surprises that can derail an entire shift.
There are also signs that some of the most disruptive behaviors are declining. The number of employees who say they plan to “ghost” work without notifying their employer has dropped by half, from 3.2 million in 2025 to 1.6 million this year. That’s meaningful progress and a signal that clearer communication and better tools are helping employees manage time away more responsibly.
Still, tension remains. Despite improved planning:
- 3.3 million employees say they intend to call out sick despite not being ill;
- Nearly 4.9 million workers plan to show up late without notifying their manager; and
- More than 8 million employees say they’ll make a last-minute decision about whether to work on Super Bowl Monday at all.
That unpredictability is what keeps Super Bowl Monday firmly in the “high-risk” category for absenteeism, especially for frontline-heavy organizations where coverage gaps can cascade quickly into burnout, safety concerns, and service disruptions.
What’s driving this behavior is clear: nearly 48% of employees now believe Super Bowl Monday should be a national holiday, up from 43% just one year ago. And employees are treating the event like a holiday in practice, too:
- An estimated 6.6 million plan to swap shifts on Super Bowl Sunday;
- About 18 million expect to work Sunday night but still watch at least part of the game; and
- 60% say they would volunteer to work during the Super Bowl if offered premium pay or another incentive.
The Super Bowl has crossed a cultural threshold, and people want to participate without feeling like they’re putting their job or their coworkers in a difficult position.
Encouragingly, many organizations appear to be listening. More than half of employees (56%) say starting coverage planning weeks in advance would reduce last-minute call-outs, while 54% say clear, early communication from managers would make them less likely to skip work. Nearly two-thirds of managers (63%) plan to ask employees directly about their Super Bowl plans, up from 56% last year in another sign that collaboration is replacing guesswork.
Super Bowl Monday may be an unofficial holiday, but it’s also becoming something else: a stress test for how well organizations anticipate reality, communicate expectations, and plan work around the moments employees care about most.
Turning a year of big moments into engagement, not disruption
Super Bowl Monday doesn’t exist in a vacuum and in many ways, it’s just the opening kickoff. Super Bowl LX marks the start of what UKG research points to as a year filled with must-watch moments that could impact attendance and productivity well beyond a single Monday in February.
In the first half of 2026 alone, employees say several major cultural and sporting events may influence whether they show up for work, including the Winter Olympics, March Madness, the FIFA World Cup, and even high-profile pop culture moments like the Taylor Swift–Travis Kelce wedding. Some of these events span days or weeks, making them even more complex to plan around than a single game night.
The takeaway for leaders is clear: pop culture doesn’t pause for work, and it doesn’t happen just once a year. For frontline-heavy organizations especially, attendance pressure will continue to rise anytime major moments capture employees’ attention.
The organizations best positioned to navigate this reality take a proactive approach. They start with early, clear communication, acknowledging upcoming events and opening conversations about coverage weeks in advance. When leaders say, “We know this matters so let’s plan for it together,” employees are far less likely to make last-minute decisions that create disruption.
Just as important are the tools employees use to manage their time. When it’s easy to request time off, swap shifts, and clearly communicate availability, employees are more likely to plan ahead and less likely to resort to calling in sick, showing up late, or disengaging at work. These capabilities aren’t about encouraging absence. They’re about creating predictability, fairness, and trust in how work gets done.
Culture matters just as much as systems
Organizations that normalize time off around big moments and explain why it’s okay to ask sends a powerful signal of respect. Encouraging employees to submit requests early, recognizing that interests outside of work matter, and offering creative options like incentives for covering less desirable shifts all help reduce unplanned gaps while reinforcing a sense of shared responsibility.
Zooming out, the business case becomes even stronger. Meeting employees halfway during moments that matter to them doesn’t just improve coverage for one event or one shift. It strengthens engagement, reduces burnout, and builds long-term loyalty. Employees who feel understood are more likely to show up — not just physically, but mentally — when it matters most.
As 2026 unfolds, the question for leaders isn’t whether cultural moments will affect attendance. They will. The real opportunity lies in how organizations respond. Those that plan with empathy, communicate early, and equip frontline workers with the tools to navigate work-life conflicts will weather these moments and turn them into a catalyst for engagement and productivity.
-Julie Develin, MSHRD, SHRM-SCP, GTML Senior Partner, Human Insights, UKG
Want to learn how Primepoint helps organizations plan smarter, support employees, and stay resilient during the moments that matter most? Click here!