Employers Share Most Unusual Excuses Employees Gave for Calling In Sick

Playing hooky isn’t just for Ferris Bueller. In the past year, 30 percent of workers have called in sick when not actually ill, keeping on par with previous years. Sick days, legitimate or otherwise, also become more frequent around the winter holidays, with nearly one-third of employers reporting more employees call in sick during the holiday season.

The study was conducted online by Harris Interactive^© from August 13 to September 6, 2012 and included 2,494 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,976 workers across industries and company sizes.

Excuses, Excuses

Some workers come up with slightly more colorful explanations for their absences. When asked to share the most memorable excuses, employers reported the following real-life examples:

-- Employee’s sobriety tool wouldn't allow the car to start

-- Employee forgot he had been hired for the job

-- Employee said her dog was having a nervous breakdown

-- Employee’s dead grandmother was being exhumed for a police investigation

-- Employee’s toe was stuck in a faucet

-- Employee said a bird bit her

-- Employee was upset after watching “The Hunger Games”

-- Employee got sick from reading too much

-- Employee was suffering from a broken heart

-- Employee’s hair turned orange from dying her hair at home

 

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