Press release

#GoT Spoiler! Absence is Coming: 27.2 Million U.S. Workers Say the Final Night’s Watch May Kill Job Productivity, Attendance

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Brace yourself: Absence is coming. According to a new survey from The
Workforce Institute at Kronos
Incorporated conducted by The Harris Poll, Sunday’s long-awaited
series finale of Game of Thrones (GoT) will create the biggest storm of
workplace disruption since The Super Bowl1.

A staggering one-third (34%) of employed U.S. adults who participated in
the survey say they plan to watch the finale Sunday night, which would
make it one of the 10 most-watched series finales in television history.
The fate of Westeros will have real world consequences, too, with an
estimated 27.2 million2 U.S. employees admitting GoT’s
conclusion will potentially have a direct impact on their work
obligations.

The “Absence is Coming” survey was conducted online from May 7-9, 2019
among 1,090 employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older on behalf of The
Workforce Institute at Kronos by The Harris Poll. All percentages cited
are based directly from survey results and U.S. census data.

News Facts

  • GoT finale hits the workforce like Valyrian steel: Managers, brace
    for the March of the Dead

    • Approximately 27.2 million employees who plan to watch the Game of
      Thrones finale live admit they will either miss work completely,
      arrive late, work remotely, be less productive than usual, or
      experience another impact on work obligations Monday because of
      the series finale of the most popular show in HBO history.
    • An estimated 10.7 million3 American employees who plan
      to watch the finale say they will skip work so that they can
      witness who ascends to the Iron Throne and celebrate or cope with
      the aftermath, including 5.8 million4 employees who
      typically work Sunday nights but plan to use a vacation day, sick
      day, or personal day to watch the finale live.
    • About 2.9 million5 Americans plan to show up late to
      work Monday morning, while 3.4 million6 will work
      remotely even though they usually do not.
    • One in five Game of Thrones viewers (21%) plan to watch the finale
      away from their home.
  • Game of Thrones’ final act: Burning productivity to the ground

    • The final season of Game of Thrones has spoiled productivity to
      date, with 20.4 million7 employees admitting that
      watching the current season has affected their attendance and/or
      performance at work, including 4.4 million8 employees
      who have missed work specifically to stream re-runs to refresh
      their memory on key plotlines or catch up on missed episodes.
    • Game of Thrones has given new meaning to the “Sunday Scaries,” as
      7.3 million9 employees admit they have called out sick,
      taken a personal day, or used a vacation day to miss work on a
      Monday specifically because they watched Game of Thrones the night
      before.
    • Even when they are supposed to be working, many fans say their
      minds are still in Westeros: 12.7 million10 employees
      watching the current season say they spend five or more hours per
      week talking about, reading about, or posting online about Game of
      Thrones, while another 16.5 million11 admit they’ve
      spent between one and four hours doing the same.
    • A staggering 35.8 million12 employees have spent at
      least one hour per week of company time this season talking about,
      reading about, or posting online about Game of Thrones, even if
      they don’t actively watch the show.
  • Employees would bend the knee to Jon Snow, House Stark as their
    workplace leader

    • Of this season’s most-likely characters to occupy the Iron Throne,
      one in four employees watching the current season of Game of
      Thrones (28%) say they would most want Jon Snow to be their
      manager.
    • Tyrion Lannister was voted the second most-popular would-be
      manager (12%), with the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen,
      ranked third (9%). Shockingly, even Cersei Lannister received a
      few votes, with 2% of fans apparently okay with being managed by
      fear.
    • Overall, most employees would prefer their manager come from House
      Stark (43%) versus House Lannister (17%), with Arya Stark (7%)
      receiving the second-most votes for the North.

Supporting Quotes

  • Joyce Maroney, executive director, The Workforce Institute at Kronos
    “What
    do we say to the God of Absence? Not today – or at least organizations
    can if they embrace, not avoid, cultural phenomenon like the Game of
    Thrones series finale. Empower employees with flexible schedules and
    the ability to request time off or swap shifts from anywhere, at any
    time so they can enjoy moments that matter in their lives, and don’t
    be shy to use pop culture common ground to build camaraderie with
    employees and managers. In fact, the ‘Absence is Coming’ survey also
    found that a third of employees (33%) use TV shows and events to build
    closer relationships with colleagues and supervisors. Open the lines
    of communication with your employees, use the right tools to simplify
    scheduling, and have a playbook to incorporate these events, when
    appropriate, into your engagement strategy.”

Supporting Resources

About Kronos Incorporated
Kronos is a leading provider of
workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions.
Kronos industry-centric workforce applications are purpose-built for
businesses, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and
government agencies of all sizes. Tens of thousands of organizations —
including half of the Fortune 1000® — and more than 40
million people in over 100 countries use Kronos every day. Visit www.kronos.com.
Kronos: Workforce Innovation That Works.

Survey Method:
The “Absence is Coming” survey was
conducted online within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Kronos
Incorporated from May 7-9, 2019 among 1,090 employed U.S. adults
ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability
sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be
calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting
variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact daniel.gouthro@kronos.com.

Footnote 1: Respondents were asked similar but different questions.
See https://www.kronos.com/about-us/newsroom/super-bowl-fever-may-sideline-record-17.2-million-workers-monday
for more details.

Footnote 2: Calculation based 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010
U.S. census x 61% employed U.S. adults x 34% who plan to watch the
finale live x 56% who say the finale will impact their work = 27.2
million

Footnote 3: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who plan to watch the finale live x 22% who
plan to call in sick or use a personal day at the last minute on Monday/
make other arrangements such as using a vacation day on Monday/typically
work Sunday nights but plan to make other arrangements/ typically work
Sunday nights but plan to call in sick = 10.7 million

Footnote 4: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who plan to watch the finale live x 12% of
employed adults who watch Game of Thrones and usually work on Sundays
who plan to make other arrangements/or plan to call in sick = 5.8 million

Footnote 5: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who plan to watch the finale live x 6% of
employed adults who plan to go in to work late on Monday morning = 2.9
million

Footnote 6: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who plan to watch the finale live x 7%
of employed adults who plan to work remotely/from home Monday when they
usually do not = 3.4 million

Footnote 7: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who watch the current season of Game of
Thrones x 42% who say the current season has affected their
performance and/or attendance = 20.4 million

Footnote 8: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x
61% employed U.S. adults x 34% who watch the current season of Game of
Thrones x 9% who say they have missed work to stream Game of
Thrones re-runs = 4.4 million

Footnote 9: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who watch the current season of Game of
Thrones x 15% who have taken a sick day on a Monday after
watching Game of Thrones on Sunday = 7.3 million

Footnote 10: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who watch the current season of Game of
Thrones x 26% who spend 5+ hours per week discussing, reading
about, or posting online about Game of Thrones = 12.7 million

Footnote 11: 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census x 61%
employed U.S. adults x 34% who watch the current season of Game of
Thrones x 34% who spend 1-4 hours per week discussing, reading
about, or posting online about Game of Thrones = 16.5 million

Footnote 12: x 234.6 U.S. adults according to 2010 U.S. census
x 61% employed U.S. adults x 25% of employed U.S. adults who have spent
at least 1 hour discussing, reading about, or posting online about Game
of Thrones even if they do not watch the show = 35.8 million

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