Okay, confession time—how many times have you called in sick when you simply wanted to sleep in or run a few errands? Don’t worry. You’re in good company. Or, at least that’s what a new survey by CareerBuilder.com found. The survey found 32% of workers have used sick days as “mental health days” to relax in just the last year. And, that’s not all the survey also found that one in 10 admitted to doing so three times or more in the last year.
One in four workers said they consider their sick days to be equivalent to vacation days and treat them as such. According to the website, many employees get away with it, but using sick days as vacation days can get you in trouble if a colleague spots you. It can also get you in hot water if your excuse bombs with the boss.
According to the survey, 37% of women called in sick with bogus explanations compared to 26% of men.
So what were some of the most unusual excuses employees gave for missing work? Here are 15 of the most bizarre:
1. “I was poisoned by my mother-in-law.”
2. “A buffalo escaped from the game reserve and kept charging me every time I tried to go to my car from my house.”
3. “I was feeling all the symptoms of my pregnant wife.”
4. (Calling from a cellphone) “I’m locked in a restroom stall and no one is around to let me out.”
5. “I broke my leg snowboarding off my roof while drunk.”
6. “My wife said I couldn’t come into work because I had a lot of chores to do around the house.”
7. “One of the walls in the my home fell off.”
8. “My mom’s in jail.”
9. “A skunk got into the house and sprayed all of my uniforms.”
10. “I have a bad case of the hiccups.”
11. “I blew my nose so hard, my back went out.”
12. “My horses got loose and are running down the highway.”
13. “I got hit by a bus.”
14. “My dog swallowed my bus pass.”
15. “I’m sad.”
What’s your favorite excuse? Do you have any to add to the list?