It’s ‘National Sickie Day’ (the first Monday in February) when an estimated 375,000 people will call in sick, costing British businesses a staggering £34 million in lost productivity.
As part of its Travel Hacks campaign, Contiki (a leader in youth travel experiences) hooked up with Twenty 4 Seven Solutions, a global provider of recruitment solutions, to pull together a top ten list of the most outrageous excuses that people have genuinely used on their bosses to try and get out of work.
And here they are:
- “My mum has washed my trousers and they’re not dry yet so I can’t come in.”
- “I thought it was a bank holiday today.”
- “I was run over by a bicycle on the way to work.”
- “My rabbit is not feeling well and hasn’t eaten the lettuce that I gave her this morning.”
- “I locked my keys in my house, and they have my car key on them.”
- “I accidentally set my alarm clock to the wrong time zone.”
- “My shoe fell onto the train track.”
- “I got on the wrong train and ended up 100 miles away.”
- “My dog and my kitten aren’t getting along, so I can’t leave the house.”
- “I spent too much money at the weekend so I can’t afford my travel card.”
The company’s Travel Hacks campaign has revealed that lack of annual leave is a barrier to travel for many young people, and some of these excuses are employed in the pursuit of extending a holiday.
However, if there’s just no getting off work but your heart is just not in it, TheCareerBreakSite.com offers some unique ways of slacking off until you leave.
- Offer to spearhead the company’s social media programme so that every time someone sees you on Facebook or Twitter, you can rightly point out that it’s part of your work.
- Grab a pile of papers and a pen, and start walking (while looking stressed).
- Explain to your boss that in order to harness the viral power of social media integration you need to analyse and quantify the specific global appeal of YouTube’s most successful videos. Then sit back and enjoy the kittens.
- Text a friend when you feel like going home and ask them to call your work number. When you answer the phone, say ‘Oh dear god – yes, I’ll be right there’, then hang up and walk out. Refuse to discuss it because it’s ‘too painful’.
Personally, I think us Brits should take a leaf out of the great US of A’s book, with more companies introducing ‘Duvet Days’.
It would render the tradition of ‘throwing a sickie’ redundant by allowing over-tired (and hungover) employees the chance to say ‘I won’t be particularly productive today so I might as well take the day off and recover’.
What do you think?
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18 comments
As if people have actually had the cheek and audacity to tell their bosses some of those excuses, I can’t even imagine the reaction I would get if I came out with that. I do like the alternative options if you can’t make it in to work though
Crazy right? The train one is quite amusing. I suppose in theory it could happen – especially if you fall asleep!
I had no idea there was such a thing as national sickie day! Some of the excuses people give are hilarious! I’ve never actually skived off work. I’ve always had a genuine reason for taking a day off!
Louise x
I didn’t know there was a national sickie day until I cam to write the blog post – crazy, but I kinda like it!
haha that’s so funny! I’ve heard all sorts although the worst I ever used was when I was young and had drank way too much, I rang my boss to say I wouldn’t be in the next day as I had broken my leg. When I turned up two days later without a cast on, I pretty much busted myself!
Ha ha! That’s hilarious – you didn’t think through that one, but you were young and we all make mistakes like that! 🙂
Having worked in a supermarket as a manager I think I have heard them all – we had one person who attempted to get away with a grandparent sadly passing on several occasions too
Did you ask them how many grandparents they had? lol….crazy!
Oh my goodness I can not believe those excuses. The rabbit one really made me laugh x
It’s ridiculous isn’t it? Lettuce isn’t actually great for rabbits anyway!
Haha LOL!! Those excuses are so crazy and extravagant. It is really funny though!
I’d love to know what their bosses said in response to some of them!
I have actually done number 6. But luckily I only got up an hour late to take the kids to school
That’s actually the most forgivable to be fair – and something that has definitely happened to most of us at some point.
Oh my goodness those reasons are outrageous! I can’t believe some of the tales people come up with, absolutely crazy.
It is a bit isn’t it Sarah?! I wonder what the most inventive excuse has been – and has been believed!
There are some great excuses there LOL! I think we should have duvet days over here too!
Thanks for agreeing with me on that one! -)