A swarm of employees may be out of office Nov. 19, and in the days that follow, engaging in a wave of illegal activities — at least on the screen.
Millions of workers are expected to take time off for the release of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) VI, which releases Nov. 19, part of the popular video game series that drops players into a fictional criminal underworld. The sixth installment in the series is a highly anticipated release as the previous installment came out 13 years ago.
More than 1 in 10 employees (11%) plan to take time off or change their work schedules for Grand Theft Auto VI, according to a survey of 1,040 U.S. workers from career platform Zety. And 22% of Gen Z workers are planning around GTA VI’s release, compared to 16% of millennials.
For employers, the numbers offer an early warning that the launch could create some scheduling and staffing challenges — particularly for teams already preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The timing is what makes this one tricky,” said Ivan Petrovic, CEO of Insightful, a workforce analytics and productivity software provider. “GTA VI drops a week before Thanksgiving, so a lot of teams will lose some of the run-up to the holiday too. Expect PTO [paid time off] and a few more unplanned sick days.”
Employees taking time off for a major pop culture moment is not a new phenomenon. From the day after the Super Bowl to the World Cup and the Olympics, major cultural and sporting events have long influenced when people want to step away from work. Music releases can have a similar effect. Last fall, 6% of salaried U.S. employees said they were taking paid time off (PTO) for the release of Taylor Swift’s album “The Life of a Showgirl,” according to data from HR software platform BambooHR. That equated to roughly 4 million workers. Among self-described fans of the musician, the figure jumped to 15%.
“Pop culture is a big part of people’s lives, and events like the GTA VI release can influence how employees prioritize their personal time,” said Jasmine Escalera, a career expert at Zety in Miami Beach, Fla.
“For HR leaders, it’s worth recognizing that employees may have interests and experiences they’re looking forward to that aren’t necessarily traditional holidays or vacations. These events can be just as meaningful to employees, and understanding that can help employers build a workplace culture that respects different interests, priorities, and generations,” she said.
“When you get these tent-pole moments in the culture, this kind of lag tends to happen,” Petrovic added. “It usually begins a day or two before the event, when attention starts drifting. Still, I wouldn’t judge a team by one slow day. Work often shifts earlier or later in the week, so look at what was delivered over the whole week before drawing conclusions about productivity.”
Although the GTA VI release could create some scheduling challenges for businesses, particularly if multiple employees want to take the same day off, Escalera said it can “be an opportunity for employers to demonstrate that they respect their employees' personal time and encourage a healthy work-life balance.”
Ultimately, HR experts said, employees taking time off for a personal activity or something they're excited about is the nature of the benefit — and that's a good thing. Despite PTO being one of the most popular employee benefits — SHRM has found that paid-leave benefits are tied with retirement benefits as the second most important benefits type — employees often feel guilty about using it, with multiple days of PTO going unused each year. In 2023, for example, 62% of workers with PTO did not use all of their vacation time, letting a third of it go to waste, a report from fintech company Sorbet found. And LiveCareer’s PTO Crisis Report found that 1 in 3 workers feel pressure not to use their PTO, and 59% experience anxiety around taking time off. “Those findings raise a much bigger concern about workplace culture and how employees believe their decision to take PTO will be received by their employers,” Escalera said.
So, employees taking time off for activities they enjoy can largely be a good thing. But employers still need to prepare.
Planning For GTA
So what should employers do? First, experts said, don’t punish people or make them feel guilty for being excited about something.
“Whether employees are planning a vacation or spending the day playing GTA VI, they should feel confident using the personal time they've earned,” Escalera said. “HR leaders and managers have an important role in creating an environment where employees feel comfortable requesting time off without guilt. Whether employees are planning a vacation or spending the day playing GTA VI, they should feel confident using the personal time they’ve earned.”
Organizations, particularly HR leaders and managers, should plan ahead for the possibility that multiple employees will request PTO around the video game’s release.
“If you can, [don’t schedule] deadlines the day or two before launch and the week after,” Petrovic said. “Figure out who’s covering what if something urgent comes up, and check in with your steady performers, especially remote ones, to make sure they aren’t stuck picking up everyone else’s slack. Encourage people to be good teammates, because leaving someone holding the bag while you’re out playing video games isn’t being a good teammate.”
For HR teams and managers, the approach should be no different from how they handle any other PTO request, Escalera said. “That means communicating expectations early, reviewing staffing needs, and making sure employees understand the process for requesting time off,” she said. “Ultimately, employees shouldn't have to justify why their personal plans are worthy of taking time off. What matters is that they’re following company policies and communicating their plans in advance.”
Employers should also be thoughtful about how they evaluate productivity during major cultural events. Petrovic added. “Make sure to use the right measures when looking at how time off can impact the organization. Pair employee sentiment surveys with objective productivity data. You need to measure both the ‘feel,’ meaning how people say they’re doing, and the ‘real,’ meaning what they’re actually contributing.
“In the end, it’s about culture,” he said. “If people are motivated and look out for each other, one big game launch isn’t going to hurt you.”
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