It’s that time of year when the weather gets colder and people start missing work because of illness.
Or because of bats in the hair. Or deer bites. Or from back injuries
sustained while chasing a beaver. Yep, these were just some of the
excuses people used when calling in to their boss to say that they’d be
out for the day.
In our annual survey, one-third of employers
reported that workers call in sick more often during the winter
holidays than any other time of the year. While cold and flu season has
much to do with the abundance of absences, some people are using up
those sick days to spend more time with their families, get in some
last-minute shopping or just relax in bed when the weather outside looks
too bleak to even deal with.
Twenty-nine percent of workers admitted to playing
hooky this year, citing errands and plans with family or friends among
their top reasons for calling in sick. But check out these fifteen weird
excuses that people used to miss work. I’m not sure how anyone even
pulled these off without busting out in laughter…
- Employee’s 12-year-old daughter stole his car and he had no other way to work. Employee didn’t want to report it to the police.
- Employee said bats got in her hair.
- Employee said a refrigerator fell on him.
- Employee was in line at a coffee shop when a truck carrying flour backed up and dumped the flour into her convertible.
- Employee said a deer bit him during hunting season.
- Employee ate too much at a party.
- Employee fell out of bed and broke his nose.
- Employee got a cold from a puppy.
- Employee’s child stuck a mint up his nose and had to go to the ER to remove it.
- Employee hurt his back chasing a beaver.
- Employee got his toe caught in a vent cover.
- Employee had a headache after going to too many garage sales.
- Employee’s brother-in-law was kidnapped by a drug cartel while in Mexico.
- Employee drank anti-freeze by mistake and had to go to the hospital.
- Employee was at a bowling alley and a bucket filled with water (due to a leak) crashed through the ceiling and hit her on the head.
Check out our nifty infographic here! Or click on the image to see the full graphic!
More interesting stats on absenteeism in the workplace:
- More workers call in sick in the first quarter of the year, with 34 percent of employers saying workers call in January through March.
- Phone calls are still the dominant way in which people tell their bosses they aren’t coming in to work (84 percent); emails are second (24 percent) and text messages are third (11 percent).
“While outrageous events are known to happen, frequent absences and
over-the-top excuses can start to bring your credibility into question,”
said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.
“Many employers are more flexible in their definition of a sick day
and will allow employees to use them to recharge and take care of
personal needs. This is especially evident post-recession when employees
have taken on added responsibilities and are working longer days. Your
best bet is to be up front with your manager.”