How do bosses check up on staff who phone in sick?

Winter days may bring joy and happiness to some people. But the cold could also bring sickness to the workforce, with 62% of sick days being taken between November and February, according to research from CareerBuilder.

While the typical practice for reporting illness is a doctor’s note (65%) and notifying the workplace via phone (52%), other managers have gone the extra mile – literally in some instances – to ensure staff had a genuine malady, according to the research.

20% admitted driving past the under-the-weather employee’s house. 18% asked a fellow worker to phone them, and seven per cent contacted their partner or friend to confirm the health complaint.

The most popular method of double-checking was social media, with 34% of employers saying they had gone online to pry on ill workers. 52% had been caught this way; 29% were reprimanded and 16% were fired.