The 60th U.S. presidential election is finally here, and some people in the UK will be planning to stay up all night on Tuesday to watch the results of the historic contest live. While some dread the thought of an ‘Election all-nighter,’ others will be eagerly preparing snacks and sacrificing sleep to witness one of the most significant and closely fought presidential races in recent years.
In fact, the Election all-nighter might be more common than some might suspect. According to data from BrightHR’s absence management software, which monitors approximately 750,000 employees at over 65,000 companies in the UK, employee lateness increased by 128% the day after the last U.S. election (Wednesday 4th November 2020) compared to the average Wednesday in 2020.
This year, a number of staff across the UK have already requested last-minute annual leave for tomorrow, Wednesday 6th November, in preparation for their Election all-nighters, variously citing that they will be ‘watching the US election results’, ‘watching the results roll in all night’, and ‘recovering from the US election’, with one even saying they will need a ‘mental health decompress’ once the result is confirmed.
Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, says: “While we may never fully understand the reasons behind the surge in employee lateness observed the day after the last U.S. presidential election in 2020, the 128% increase suggests the possible impact of an Election all-nighter.
This year, we have already seen a number of employees request Wednesday off in order to ‘decompress’ after a night spent glued to their screens watching the election results come in.
It’s no surprise that some employees will forgo sleep to keep up with the results. Regardless of the outcome, the 2024 presidential election will be historic, potentially leading to the first woman president of the United States or the second president in history to win another term after losing a re-election bid.
While some organisations might consider making exceptions for lateness due to the election’s global significance, this could lead to dissatisfaction among other employees who might view it as unfair. Generally, leniency is warranted only when the lateness is beyond the employee’s control and they have made every effort to arrive on time.
HR teams should communicate the expectation that employees maintain their usual productivity levels, even if they’ve stayed up late for the election. If productivity dips occur, a quiet reminder of expectations can be given. Persistent issues related to such events should be managed through the usual disciplinary procedure.”