You won’t believe these ‘sick day’ excuses employees have tried
(Want to dodge the cold and flu this season? Keep some hand sanitizer stashed at your desk)
By Brittany Anas
Thinking about calling in sick and using the good ole’ “my dentures flew out the window while driving down the highway” excuse? It’s been used. Other wild excuses bosses have heard from employees scheming for a sick day include one from a woman who claimed she bit her tongue and couldn’t talk and another excuse from an employee who said the chemical in turkey made him fall asleep and, thus, he missed his shift.
CareerBuilder released new findings from its study on the state of sick days — and how workers are using them. Among the most entertaining findings were some of the off-the-wall excuses that employers heard from employees faking sick leave.
In the past year, roughly 32 percent of workers have called in sick when they weren’t actually ill. Tsk, tsk. That’s up from 30 percent last year.
Here’s a sample of some of the outlandish excuses fielded by bosses.
- An employee’s fave football team lost on Sunday, so he needed Monday to recover.
- One employee just quit smoking and was grouchy.
- A woman claimed somebody glued her doors and windows shut so she couldn’t leave the house and come to work.
- An employee couldn’t decide what to wear
- The electric company made a threatening call to one employee, who then had to report it to the FBI.
- An employee’s fake eye was falling out of its socket.
- Oh, and let’s not forget the employee who needed to finish Christmas shopping.
If you’re thinking about faking a sick day to hit the slopes or to watch a Breaking Bad marathon, you might want to reconsider. Survey results show 30 percent of employers say they have checked up on employees who have called in sick to make sure they really were under the weather. Their tactics included requiring a doctor’s note, checking the employee’s social media post and even driving past the employee’s house.
On the flip side, survey results show, 30 percent of employees say they’ve reported for duty — despite being sick. Employers say the most popular months for employees being sick are December, January and February.
Looking to dodge flu season and stay healthy this season so you can save your sick days for when your in a turkey coma or mourning a football loss? Stock your desk with some Kleenex Instant Hand Sanitizer, which kills nearly all germs in 15 seconds. Might we also suggest the Kleenex Refresh Kit? It comes with tissues, sanitizers and wipes and that can help reduce the probability of catching a cold or the flu by nearly 80 percent. Save on your purchases from Staples when you buy through ShopAtHome.com and earn 4 percent Cash Back.
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