The craziest 'sickie' excuses this year

The phenomenon of the ‘sickie’, at eye level, seems to fluctuate in peaks and troughs, but it appears that fewer workers pulled a sickie this year, according to an annual survey by CareerBuilder.

35% told CareerBuilder – who asked 3,100 full-time workers and more than 2,500 full-time hiring and HR managers (2,379 in the private sector) across multiple industries – they had pulled a sickie, compared to 38% last year.

When probed further on why they dialled in and deceived their employer about their wellbeing, the following reasons were given; didn’t feel like going in (28%), had a doctor’s appointment (27%), needed to relax (24%), had sleep to catch up on (18%), or that personal errands needed attention (11%).

Most employers (67%) cut their staff some slack, but the remaining third checked up on their workers; one in five terminated the employment of a worker because of a fake excuse. Of those who were caught, 34% slipped up on social media.