Bogus work excuses on the rise

NEW YORK - Off-the-wall reasons for calling off sick are on the rise as US workers are increasingly willing to blame everything from wet cement and snakes to ghosts and a higher power to get a day off from work, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

This year, 43 per cent of US workers called in sick when they felt fine, up from 35 per cent that did so last year, the survey of 2450 employees from CareerBuilder.com showed.

Reasons not to show up for work ranged from: "I was too drunk to drive to work" to "I forgot I was getting married today."

One employee who did not believe in alarm clocks told the boss that "God didn't wake me."

The survey, which also polled 875 hiring managers, showed the most popular day to make up an excuse was Wednesday, while hiring managers said they were more suspicious of workers who called off sick on Mondays and Fridays.

Still, no matter how good the excuse, it won't always work. Nearly one-quarter of hiring managers surveyed said they had fired an employee for missing work without a legitimate reason.

- REUTERS