Did you hear the one about the woman who couldnt go to work because her chickens feet were frozen to the driveway? Its not a joke its an actual excuse given to a boss.Gone are the days when an employee called in sick and coughed a little to make the story believable. Today, workers give a variety of excuses when they stay home from the office. And theyre doing it a lot.
Almost one-third of employees admitted to calling in sick to work last year even though they werent ill, according to CareerBuilder.coms annual survey.
Fortunately for them, 75 percent of employers believe their employees are sick when they say they are.But some bosses arent falling for it.
Thirty-five percent of employers checked up on their supposedly sick employees. The majority (67 percent) of those suspicious bosses demanded a note from the doctor. A determined 14 percent actually drove by the employees home.
So what should you tell your boss if you need a rest but theres not a holiday in sight?
Honesty is the best policy, says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.com. If youre a strong employee and youre truthful about the time you need off, your employer is likely to give it to you. But if you get caught in a lie, you risk your reputation and possibly even your job.
Luckily, many employers are beginning to understand that an employee doesnt have to be suffering from the flu to need a day off. Mental health days, which allow employees to stay home from work to escape the stress and chaos of the office, are gaining acceptance in the workplace. Sixty-nine percent of surveyed employers consider mental health days acceptable uses of sick leave.
Employers are placing a greater emphasis on work/life balance, offering more opportunities for employees to recharge and return to the office more productive, Haefner says.
So the next time you call in sick whether you have the flu or a desire to stay in your pajamas until noon you can decide if you want to tell the truth or a little white lie. If you choose the latter, here are some of the most unusual excuses bosses revealed.
1. At her sisters wedding, an employee chipped her tooth on a mint julep, bent over to spit it out, hit her head on a keg and was knocked unconscious.
2. While at a circus, a tiger urinated on the employees ear, causing an ear infection.
3. An employees dog wasnt feeling well, so the employee tasted the dogs food and then got sick.
4. Someone put LSD in my salad.
5. An employees roommate locked all his clothes in a shed for spite.
6. Stuck on an island canoe floated away.
7. An employee was upset because his favorite "American Idol" contestant was voted off.
8. I didnt think I had to come in if I had time in my vacation bank. I thought I could take it whenever I wanted.
9. An employee said he wasnt feeling well and wanted to rest up for the companys holiday party that night.
10. A groundhog bit the employees car tire, causing it to go flat.
-- Edited by garougal at 11:15, 2008-01-14
__________________
-- Heather: "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
The best one that I ever gave was really funny, but ACTUALLY TRUE!
I was on my way back to work from lunch when I noticed that there was a cow in the road. I pulled over to the side( along with another car) and we spent about 30 minutes trying to get the cow back in the fence. You should have seen everyone's faces when I told them why I was late getting back!
__________________
"I like rice. Rice is great if you are hungry and want 2000 of something." - mitch hedberg
It does sound funny but I know what that's like! Once I got stuck for about 30 minutes at a cattle crossing - the dang bovines had broken through the gate and were hanging out in the road, and more came up behind my car. There was no where to go!
__________________
-- Heather: "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
