Dive Brief:

• Most HR managers (72%) say the day after the Super Bowl should be a paid national holiday for employees, according to a new OfficeTeam survey. The organization surveyed 300 HR managers at U.S. companies with more than 20 employees and more than 1,000 U.S. workers age 18 and older.
• When asked which event's day after should be a paid national holiday, the Super Bowl scored highest among HR managers, followed by the NBA finals, the Oscars, the World Cup final, the Stanley Cup finals and the World Series. A third of employees admitted playing hooky the day after a major national event and 32% are late the day after such an event.
• The survey also found that workers age 18 to 34 (40%) and men (36%) were more likely to report calling in sick after an event than women (16%). Workers age 18 to 34 (44%) were also the group most likely to report arriving to work late the day after an event. Respondents said they spend 27 minutes each day talking with coworkers about sports-related events; employees age 18 to 34 and men spent the most time doing so.

Dive Insight:

A paid national holiday might be a stretch for some employers. Many workers lack paid time off for medical and family matters, much less a day to recuperate from a sporting event. Statistics from last year's Super Bowl show that 89% of workers planned to attend work the next day anyway.

Still, employers are probably right to expect some reduction in productivity the days after events like the Super Bowl. It may be somewhat more disruptive than the occasional personal calls and internet browsing that employers have learned are a necessary part of doing business, but allowing employees to share personal interests with coworkers can go a long way. When workers connect over hobbies, it can bond them in invigorating ways — even if they're rooting for opposing teams.