Most ridiculous sick day excuses of all time revealed

Melbourne: Getting sick from reading too much and pet dogs having a nervous breakdown are among the most ridiculous sick day explanations people have given bosses, a new survey has revealed.

The CareerBuilder survey of almost 2500 managers and 4000 workers in the US found that 29 per cent of employers have checked up on an employee to see if they were really sick, usually by calling them later in the day or asking for a medical certificate. While almost one in five (18 percent) of employers have had other staff call a person they thought was chucking a sickie, 17 percent of employers have fired employees for giving a fake excuse. In line with previous years, 30 percent of people said they have called in sick when they weren’t actually ill, News.com.au reported. Next to being genuinely sick, the most common reasons employees have taken the day off are because they just don’t feel like going to work, or because they felt like they needed to relax. 22 percent have taken a day off so they can make it to a doctor’s appointment, 16 percent have done so to catch up on sleep and 15 percent have chucked a sickie to run some errands. The bosses’ most memorable sick day excuses are: 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 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 Employee’s girlfriend poked him in the eye ANI