"Best" Excuses For Calling in Sick

Apparently there are more 'acceptable' reasons for taking a sick day off work so think twice before you call in with a migraine because only one in five bosses consider the headache serious enough to warrant a day off. 

Back pain, injury caused by accident and even elective surgery such as a cataract operation or hip replacement fail to arouse sympathy out of managers, with around 37 per cent considering these ailments adequate excuses for missing work.

The medical insurance provider AXA PPP Healthcare surveyed 1,000 business owners, managing directors and chief executives about their attitudes towards employees' sick leave.

Think flu is a good enough reason to stay home? It only won sympathy from 41 percent of bosses!

Mental illnesses like stress, depression and anxiety were not viewed more or less kindly by managers, employees were significantly more likely to lie about non-physical health.

A survey of 1,000 non-executive employees found that 7 per cent would tell their boss a lie if they had to miss work for a physical ailment such as back pain, flu or accidental injury.

However, they were almost six times more likely to lie if they called in sick due to stress, anxiety or depression, with 40 per cent saying they would not tell their manager the truth.

When asked to explain why they would withhold the truth from their managers, 23 per cent of employees said they preferred to keep their health issues private.

A further 23 per cent admitted they were afraid of being judged, 15 per cent said they were concerned about not being believed, 7 per cent said they were afraid of their manager's reaction and 3 per cent confessed they would feel ashamed to reveal the true reason.

It sounds like some bosses won't be happy with a sick day unless you're calling in dead!