We’ve probably all woken up some days and considered the thought of taking a ‘duvet day’ or pulling a “Sickie”.  It may be because you feel you need a rest, there’s something you’d prefer to be doing (like going to a gig), you had a late night the night before or you can’t face the meeting you have to go to.  Whatever your reasons, and whether you are going to admit it or not, taking an ‘unauthorised’ day off work is something we’ve all done.

Whilst you may think nothing of phoning in with a groggy voice, throwing in the odd cough for effect and telling your boss you’ll do your best to come back tomorrow (whilst knowing you will make a miraculous ‘recovery’), sickness absence is something that cost businesses billions of pounds each year.

It is reported that in the last quarter of 2010, around 613,000 people were absent from work which means around 2 million working days were lost.

Whilst we do understand that Man Flu is a highly serious illness, it appears that men are less likely to be absent from work than women.  The final quarter of 2010 reports that 2.1% of men were absent, whilst 2.9% of women were absent (that’s 85,000 more women than men).  The reasons also differ – with men taking time off for musculoskeletal problems and women opting for stress, depression and anxiety.

There appears to be a whole industry online supporting the “Sickie” – even websites telling you step-by-step how to pull a sickie (and no we aren’t going to tell you which one it is!). Whilst we are not advocating the “Sickie” or duvet days, we have chosen 10 of our favourite bizarre excuses given to bosses when employees have called in “sick”.

1.         Employee fell asleep as his desk while working and hit his head.

2.         A family member being attacked by a chicken

3.         Employee had to mow the lawn to avoid a lawsuit

4.         My bed broke and I’m trapped under it.

5.         My house won’t let me out, I’m locked in.

6.         Employee said a cow broke into her house.

7.         My glass eye fell out and I can’t find it.

8.         Employee had a nightmare and felt out of sorts.

9.         Employee claimed to be attacked by a shark.

10.       Employee said someone threw a garden gnome through his window.

TOP TIP:   Don’t fake it. If you are honest with your boss about the need for a day off and explain your reasons (within reason!), you are more likely to gain their respect.  There are plenty of ways they can check up on you now so it’s not worth the risk.

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