Ok so we’ve all done it,…we’ve called in sick.  But there has to be some level of a decent reason…don’t you think?  Well apparently NOT as these reasons for calling in sick come right out of a survey from careerbuilder.com and the bottom line is that calling in sick isn’t really what we’re doing at all…

CareerBuilder says 38 percent of those surveyed admit they’ve faked being sick, compared with 28 percent last year.  Let’s take a look at the reason shall we?

  1. Employee claimed his grandmother poisoned him with ham.
  2. Employee was stuck under the bed.
  3. Employee broke his arm reaching to grab a falling sandwich.
  4. Employee said the universe was telling him to take a day off.
  5. Employee’s wife found out he was cheating. He had to spend the day retrieving his belongings from the dumpster.
  6. Employee poked herself in the eye while combing her hair.
  7. Employee said his wife put all his underwear in the washer.
  8. Employee said the meal he cooked for a department potluck didn’t turn out well.
  9. Employee was going to the beach because the doctor said she needed more vitamin D.
  10. Employee said her cat was stuck inside the dashboard of her car.

Sometimes the Weather Can Affect the “sick vibe”

The most popular months for employees to call in sick are:

  • December – 20% of those surveyed
  • January – 15 percent of those surveyed
  • February – 14 percent of those surveyed

Calling their Bluff

Thirty three percent (33%) of employers have checked to see if an employee was telling the truth after calling in sick. This is up compared to 31 percent (31%) last year.

Here’s how the employers check out the story:

  • Ask to see a doctor’s note (67%)
  • Calling the employee (49 %)
  • Checking the employee’s social media posts (32 %)

Does Calling in Sick Have Repercussions?  

  • More than 1 in 5 employers (22 %) fired an employee for calling in sick with a fake excuse, an increase from last year (18 %).
  • Employers are going online. Thirty-three percent (33%) of all employers have caught an employee lying about being sick by checking their social media accounts, and of those, 26 percent (26%) have fired the employee. 

What do you think?  Should employers act when the sick reasons don’t really add up?

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