Best Lies for Taking a Sick Day
The worst sick-day excuses, and how to get a day off.
Oct. 23, 2007 Special to ABCNEWS.com — -- What do murderers and members of the workforce milking their company for time off have in common? An alibi. Welcome to a discussion about lying to your boss and — sometimes — getting away with it. It's hardly criminal, so pardon the above analogy, but it could get you fired or at least ruin a colleague's day.
Everyone does it, and everyone knows it's shady. But whether or not that's the reason, managers appear more amenable nowadays to requests for these unscheduled days off.
Click here to the worst sick day excuses at our partner site, Forbes.com.
In all likelihood, if you're reading this, you've lied to your employer at some point in your professional life so you could use a "sick" day when you're not actually ill. While you may not feel that you're an indispensable part of the operation, your unwarranted absence can cause a serious problem because someone usually suffers, even if it's not you.
Chances are, your boss has heard all the excuses in the book, so don't think you're reinventing the wheel when you call in before the day starts and say, "I was snowboarding off my roof last night while drunk and broke my leg" or "I'm feeling pregnant ... like my wife."
These are the kinds of responses Careerbuilder.com has gotten in a survey of hiring managers. The jobs Web site has conducted this research on sick-day alibis since 2004. In the last two years, the data have shown that 23% (2005) and 27% (2006) of managers have fired their employees for not having legitimate reasons for their "absenteeism."
After all, time is money to these people. According to CCH, a human resources information company, absenteeism costs large companies (those with 1,000 or more employees) an average of $760,000 annually. CCH no longer tracks what it costs these companies per employee.
The CCH research also tracks the reasons for absenteeism from 1995 to 2007. The data showed a marked decline in "personal illness" as a reason for calling out of work from 45% in 1995 to 34% in 2007. "Family issues" has always remained second, followed by personal needs, entitlement mentality and stress.
