10 most unbelievable excuses for calling in sick to work

10 most unbelievable excuses for calling in sick to work

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SALT LAKE CITY — If you’ve ever wanted to call in sick to work without a legitimate reason, you’re not the only one.

Employers heard some interesting reasons for their employees missing work in 2014, according to an annual report from CareerBuilder. A survey of more than 5,000 workers and hiring managers found that 28 percent of employees called in sick to work on a day when they felt perfectly fine.

Of those who decided to call in sick for reasons other than illness, 30 percent reported that they “just didn’t feel like going to work” and another 29 percent said they “wanted the day to relax.”

However, taking time off under false pretenses can be risky. The study found that one in four employers had caught an employee faking sick through social media. Most employers settled for reprimanding the employee, but 22 percent used it as grounds for firing.

Thirty-one percent of employers reported checking in on an employee’s reasons for missing work by asking for a doctor's note, calling the employee or even driving past their employee’s home.

The 10 "most unbelievable" excuses for 2014, according to CareerBuilder:

  1. Employee just put a casserole in the oven.
  2. Employee's plastic surgery for enhancement purposes needed some "tweaking" to get it just right.
  3. Employee was sitting in the bathroom and her feet and legs fell asleep. When she stood, up she fell and broke her ankle.
  4. Employee had been at the casino all weekend and still had money left to play with on Monday morning.
  5. Employee woke up in a good mood and didn't want to ruin it.
  6. Employee had a "lucky night" and didn't know where he was.
  7. Employee got stuck in the blood pressure machine at the grocery store and couldn't get out.
  8. Employee had a gall stone they wanted to heal holistically.
  9. Employee caught their uniform on fire by putting it in the microwave to dry.
  10. Employee accidentally got on a plane.

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Natalie Crofts

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