More than one-third of US workers (36%) identify as a Swiftie—and are likely to be distracted when Taylor Swift releases her 12th studio album, according to new data.
Swifties will wait in a merch line for three hours, meticulously place crystal freckles on their faces, and clear out a Michael’s to craft concert-ready bracelets, so it may not be surprising that 6% plan to take off for the October 3 release of The Life of a Show Girl, according to a new survey from BambooHR. Employees who do work on release day might be distracted by a lively group chat, as 10% of fans report their company has a dedicated Swiftie channel on Slack or Teams.
The latest Swift release isn’t the first cultural phenomenon to distract employees from work. An estimated 22.6 million Americans planned to take off on Super Bowl Monday this year, according to UKG. Additionally, one in four workers in the US said their productivity fell during the 2024 summer Olympics, NBCUniversal claimed. (It’s not all bad news, though: Some workplace experts believe such events can help connect workers.)
October 3 won’t even be the first time work productivity has fallen thanks to Swifties, according to some reports. In August, when Swift announced on Instagram her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, work possibly stopped for many Swifties, as 22% said they heard the news on the job, BambooHR found. At least one company ended the workday early, figuring any attempts to get employees back on track would be futile. In 2022, when tickets for The Eras Tour went on presale, productivity dropped by an estimated 22% as fans spent hours waiting for their turn in the online queue, Inc reported.
Regardless of whether they’re working in the office or from home, or taking the day off, one thing’s for sure: The Life of a Show Girl will be on repeat (and non-Swifties may need to take an extra coffee break to escape).
This report was originally published by HR Brew.
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