The Worst Excuses for Missing Work
CareerBuilder.com surveyed workers and human resources professionals to find the weirdest excuses for playing hooky. So, why do we play hooky?
- 33 percent just didn’t feel like going to work.
- 29 percent claimed they wanted to relax for a day.
- 21 percent had a doctor’s appointment.
- 19 percent wanted to sleep in.
- 11 blamed bad weather.
Although you could just say, “I’m sick” and leave it at that, some employees felt that this lie wasn’t effective enough. So they got creative. One might even say they got a bit too creative. The worst real excuses given for missing work, according to CareerBuilder.com:
- I just put a casserole in the oven.
- My plastic surgery needs some tweaking to get it just right.
- My feet and legs fell asleep when I was sitting in the bathroom, and when I stood up, I broke my ankle.
- I was gambling at the casino all weekend and still have money left. I need to stay to win it back.
- I’m stuck in the blood pressure machine at the grocery store.
- I got lucky last night and don’t know where I am this morning.
- I put my uniform in the microwave to dry and it caught fire.
- I accidentally got on a plane.
- I woke up in a good mood and don’t want to ruin it.
Don’t think for a minute your boss is that stupid. CareerBuilder.com reports that 33 percent of employers have checked up on sick workers to see if they’re telling the truth (including checking Facebook and Twitter), while some have gone as far as to ask for a doctor’s note. What happens if you get caught? About 20 percent of employers say they have fired someone for playing hooky, while more than half admit they just reprimanded the employee for lying.