In the past year, nearly one third (32 percent) of workers have called in sick when not actually ill, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. Along the same lines, 30 percent of employees say they’ve gone to work despite actually being sick in order to save their sick days for when they’re feeling well.
While you may think most workers would pretend to be sick while they are playing hooky, there were a few employees who came up with some pretty unique explanations for missing work.
Here are a few real-life excuses that employees used for being absent:
- Employee’s false teeth flew out the window while driving down the highway.
- Employee’s favorite football team lost on Sunday so needed Monday to recover.
- Employee said that someone glued her doors and windows shut so she couldn’t leave the house to come to work.
- Employee claimed a swarm of bees surrounded his vehicle, and he couldn’t make it in.
- Employee got lost and ended up in another state.
- Employee couldn’t decide what to wear.
And lastly, just in time for Thanksgiving, one employee said the chemical in turkey (tryptophan) made him fall asleep, and he missed his shift.
What’s the weirdest excuse you’ve heard an employee use (or you’ve used!) for being late? Tell us below.
I’d love to know how the employer ended up treating some of these–e.g., did it allow a sick day for recovery from the football team’s loss? Did it ask for proof of the bee swarm?
Employee had an “eye problem” Just couldn’t see coming in that day!
I once worked with someone who said the mirror fell on him while he was shaving and so he came in late that day. Not sure how that was recorded!
My co-worker called in sick because him and his dog was sprayed by a skunk the night before.