Between the flu, allergies, and miscellaneous air-borne bacteria flying through the office, it is no surprise that on some days during the fall and winter season the workplace looks like desolate wasteland. However, the inevitable truth is not every employee who makes use of sick leave is actually sick. A recent survey done by CareerBuilder highlights this fact. According to the survey, 29 percent of employees who took sick leave admitted to really only being “sick,” telling fanciful stories meant to convince their employer of the fact that they were suffering the ill effects of some rare malady (“I really need this day, I’m suffering from sudden onset of Ebola”). However, not every employee is cunning and skilled at the art of lying.
Kaitlin Madden, writing for CareerBuilder’s blog, TheWorkBuzz, recently published a post examining the most ridiculous excuses used by employees to get out of work. They include:
- Chicken attacks.
- Bowling ball mishaps.
- Botched hair transplants.
- Injuries caused by desk-sleeping.
- Burgling, or rather mischievous intruding cows.
Although the above are only my favorite excuses, Madden’s list goes on, with each item being more surreal than the one that came before it. Madden makes the excellent point, however, that such fanciful stories will only help to throw the employees who tell them into a very deep hole (or under a bus—whichever cliché you prefer). Instead, she suggests, should you “find yourself in need of a day off, a simple ‘I’m not feeling well’” should suffice. I’d go one step further and suggest complete honesty. If you’re feeling off, if stress is bearing down on you, if you are in desperate need of a mental health day, be honest with your boss. It is better to be at home using sick time than to go into work without the will or intention to, well…work.
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