Super Bowl Ruins Career
February 2nd, 2008 by Cali & Jody
At the risk of sounding arrogant, we saw this one coming. The Workforce Institute conducts a survey and not surprisingly finds that “4.4 million employees may arrive late to work on Monday morning after the Super Bowl, and an additional 1.5 million may call in sick. Super Bowl-related absences could be highest for organizations with a high population of Gen X and Gen Y employees.”
We hear this and think, Big deal. People come in late or not at all, for all kinds of reasons, every day, all around the world. And yet somehow the wheels of commerce keep turning. In a way, it doesn’t matter if you have a “good excuse” or you’re “blowing off” work. You’re not there and as a result, people have to adjust. Then the next day it might be your turn to cover for someone else.
But the Workforce Institute gets all hall monitor about it. Invoking the coming recession they note that:
“Super Bowl or not, those workers thinking about blowing off Monday might want to think twice about the message they could be sending to employers who may be managing tighter workforce budgets.”
That’s just ridiculous. If (heaven forbid) you’re going to get laid off in the coming months, it won’t be because you were up all night being happy for Tom Brady. Companies don’t close plants and outsource work overseas because you have a life outside of work. Don’t buy into the “better look busy, the economy’s bad” mentality. Putting on a show of work doesn’t help anyone.
Amen, ladies.
The problem is twofold:
1. There are too many companies where “putting on a show of work” IS seen as important because the companies don’t really know (a) how to measure real work, as against looking busy, or (b) how to reward those who produce actual results.
2. Too many in the media abet this antiquated view, instead of stepping back and saying, “Why don’t companies just take advantage of this instead of crying about it?”
… and if putting in a show of work, or motion for the sake of progress, does matter you know it is time to run anyway!
I would suggest you rewrite your 2/2 blog to reflect the GIANTS VICTORY!!!