10 Unbelievable Excuses ‘Sick’ Employees give for Skipping Work

People can get creative when it comes to sick day excuses.

More than a quarter of employees have skipped work when they were feeling fine, a survey of U.S. workers, hiring managers and human resources professionals commissioned by CareerBuilder found.

When asked, some admitted they simply didn’t feel like going into the office or wanted a day to catch up on sleep or relax.
Others, however, had more memorable excuses. Employers reported hearing a number of outlandish and fishy reasons employees gave for taking off from work.

One liar said she or he literally caught her or his pants on fire because a uniform burst into flames while it was being dried in the microwave.
Another said he or she had gotten plastic surgery “for enhancement purposes” and “needed some ‘tweaking to get it just right.’”
Some employees gave simple yet puzzling excuses. One called out because he or she had just put a casserole in the oven, while a different employee accidently got on a plane.

In general, things don’t always go as planned for worker bees who fake sick, the survey showed.
One in four employers said an employee was busted because something on social media showed that the person was playing hooky. Almost one in five bosses said they fired a worker for faking sick.

Here are CareerBuilder’s 10 most unbelievable excuses for calling in sick:
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 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 gallstone he or she wanted to heal holistically.

9. Employee caught a work uniform on fire by putting it in the microwave to dry.

10. Employee accidentally got on a plane.