One in three workers admit to pulling ‘sickies’

A staggering 33 per cent of people admitted to pulling ‘sickies’ to get time off work according to a recent survey.

The poll, which was organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), found that one in three people had called in sick to work when they were not really ill, often because they were bored or depressed. Those asked admitted that sick days were often premeditated, with four in 10 people saying they would fake symptoms in the office in the days leading up to the day off.

As well as calling in sick to get a day off work, those asked also said they used other more far-fetched excuses. One included saying that their rabbit had run away, while another said they had amnesia. More than 20 per cent of people cited family reasons for their time off work, something which PwC said could be prevented by introducing flexible working.

Neil Roden, a partner at PwC, said: “Absenteeism costs British business around £32bn a year, but our findings suggest a large chunk of this loss is preventable.

“Introducing or enhancing flexible working arrangements can make a difference. Ensuring people feel they're not taken for granted is also important. Some 15 per cent of those who provided false excuses felt they deserved the time.”

Some more unusual or amusing excuses given included: a dart to the back of the head, injury during sex, breast enhancement surgery and one woman in Wales who said that ‘limescale from the shower fell into her eye’. In one case of bad planning, a man used a dog’s illness as an excuse to stay at home, forgetting that he had previously told employers that his dog had died in order to get time off work.