Thousands were expected to call in sick after the midnight release of the much anticipated GTA V. The newest installment in the Grand Theft Auto series reportedly cost £176m – a sum bigger than most Hollywood movies. With large queues building outside supermarkets and Game stores, it’s no wonder it didn’t come as a surprise that 46% of those polled by IGN.com had already booked the day off work to play. A further 19% claimed they would call in sick – and that’s just those who answered! (10,995 people took part in the poll – meaning around 5,000 people had days booked off!)

Should game releases – especially those anticipated to be as hyped as this – be limited to weekend release?

Perhaps the industries most affected by these colossal absences are factory, production, manufacturing etc – where other workers will have to be called to ensure the workplace can actually function as normal. This can cause other tasks to be held off, rotational issues, changes to pay and calling in workers who should otherwise have the time off (potentially meaning having to reschedule the weeks rota).

Should staff be pre-warned, around releases such as this or other large-scale events, that calling in sick would have serious consequences?

Imagine you could make one phone call, and have replacement staff sent over without giving it a second thought? Situations like this would no longer be an issue, as our experienced, eager candidates are on stand-by to fill in one-off shifts such as these.

Fancy trying it out? See how it works for you. Call your local branch today.

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