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The Game of Thrones series finale is upon us and with it comes a roller coaster of emotions. While no one knows just how the show is going to end, fans pretty much know that they are going to be left with a lot of questions; Why? How? It’s undoubtedly going to bog viewers down no matter how wonderfully the final episode is packaged.
The final episode of Game of Thrones will be available on HBO beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern. The show will wrap all eight of its seasons in just 80 minutes. In those 80 minutes, fans are expecting to find out who will sit in the iron throne.
That said, an interesting new poll suggests that some 10.7 million people are going to call out of work on Monday, simply unable to deal after the culmination of one of the most popular shows to ever hit cable.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Poll Conducted by the Workforce Institute at Kronos Estimates 10.7 Million Americans Will Miss Work on Monday Morning
The Workforce Institute at Kronos conducted a poll that predicted that some 10.7 million people won’t be going to work on Monday because of the Game of Thrones finale. According to Thrillist, 1,090 adults were asked if they would be skipping work on Monday — and 22% said yes.
“According to the study, most viewers will either call in sick or use a last-minute vacation day. For those who do make it into the office, the poll suggests employees who watched the finale will arrive late, work remotely or be less productive than usual overall,” People Magazine reports.
It’s unclear exactly why so many people would call out of work — the finale is set to end around 10:30 p.m. Eastern, which is plenty of time for people to get to sleep. However, many people will be attending watch parties, watching with friends, and/or just left sitting in front of their televisions with their mouths hanging open for hours after the episode airs, unable to sleep due to racing thoughts, shock, and/or awe.
An Estimated 17 Million People Were Expected to Call Out of Work Following the 2019 Super Bowl
To put things into perspective, the Workforce Institute at Kronos predicted that approximately 17 million people would call into work on the Monday following the 2019 Super Bowl.
“Both employees and their bosses continue to play hooky the day after The Big Game,” said Joyce Maroney, executive director at The Workforce Institute, in a statement, according to USA Today.
While “Super Bowl fever” isn’t a new thing by any means, calling into work sick following the finale of a television show isn’t something that the U.S. sees too often. Game of Thrones is in a league of its own.
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