Far out Friday: Five crazy excuses for calling in sick

It seems some employees are going to extraordinary lengths in an attempt to hoodwink HR.

When it comes to sick days, employees who try to pull the wool over HR’s eyes are rarely successful but sometimes, they do come up with some rather remarkable stories – at least according to one jobsite’s survey.

CareerBuilder asked employers to report the most unusual explanations offered by employees – it’s actually less concerning to assume they’re not true.
 

1. My dead grandmother is being exhumed for a police investigation.

The classic excuse of an ailing relative taken a little too far... we hope.

2. Male employee was feeling all the same symptoms as his pregnant wife.

We’re betting his wife was less-than-happy about having her hypochondriac husband at home for the day.

3. Employee woke up in a good mood and didn’t want to ruin it.

Honesty is the best policy, apparently.

4. The dog ate the employee’s ID badge and bus pass.

Again, a revamp of a classroom favourite – we assume the “dog” ate both just for good measure.

5. Employee was upset after watching “The Hunger Games.”

Almost as bad as when hundreds of employees asked for time off because One Direction’s Zayn Malik left the band.
 
The study also revealed that one quarter of employers have caught an employee faking through social media and 20 per cent have fired someone for using a fake excuse.

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