11% of Workers Plan Time Off or Schedule Changes for GTA VI
HR teams are being told to plan around a video game. Grand Theft Auto VI goes on sale on Nov. 19, 2026, and an HR Dive columnist says leave requests for it may arrive as early as this week.
A columnist's case for planning ahead
Caroline Colvin, who writes the outlet's column on HR and entertainment, argues that employers should answer the launch with a positive, proactive approach. She sees workers as whole people who should be able to take time off for whatever they need.
She points to her own team for evidence. Her colleagues step away for more than sickness and emergencies. Their reasons include school parties, family trips, matches, concerts and new games.
In her view, paid time off should be used freely, not as a frivolity but as a way for people to bring their whole selves to work and come back with fresh energy. HR should get ahead of anything that may hurt productivity in the short term to strengthen it in the long term. Better, she says, to have a plan that fits what staff want than to find the team thin on launch day.
What the Zety survey found
An October report from Zety found that 11% of workers plan to take time off for the game or change their schedules. Younger workers and men are the likelier groups to make such changes. Pre-loading begins on Nov. 12.
The same survey found that 9% of respondents have taken paid time off for a video game before. Not everyone asks, though. Some workers said they would call in sick instead.
Forecasts of lost output, and the precedents
Zety is not the first to predict a hit to productivity. In September, Steven Adams of the Houston Rockets said even NBA performance would drop in November because of the game. A recent Money.com report suggests Nov. 19 could be a "billion-dollar sick day".
HR has seen this kind of thing before. Millions of people call in sick the Monday after the Super Bowl. March Madness is a long-running office distraction, yet the current tournament has at times helped HR re-engage burnt-out staff.
Our Take
The figures here have limits. The survey records intentions, and it does not say how many people will actually take leave. The column is an opinion, not a study. Actual leave and sick-day counts around Nov. 19, set against an ordinary week, would show how far the forecasts hold.
Source: HR Dive