More than two million workers plan leave for GTA VI launch, research finds

More than two million UK workers plan to take annual leave for the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI), research highlighted by CharlieHR found.

Almost one in 12 (7%) employees expect to book 19th November off work for the game’s launch, equivalent to around 2.1 million workers.

A further 4%, equivalent to around 1.2 million employees, expect to take several days off, while 6% planned to change or swap shifts and 8% anticipated changing their working hours.

Among employees unable to book leave, 15% said they would be likely to call in sick.

A fifth (20%) said they would definitely or probably play GTA VI during their normal working hours if working from home on launch day.

Ben Gateley, chief executive officer and founder at CharlieHR, said: “GTA VI is a funny example of something HR teams don’t necessarily see coming, but it highlights a very real issue: people’s lives don’t stop at the office door.

“When a major cultural event lands, employees will want to make space for it, whether that’s taking annual leave, changing their hours or working remotely.

“The employers who handle these moments well are the ones with clear policies, good visibility of who’s off and enough flexibility to keep the business running without making employees feel like they’re asking for special treatment.”