National Sickie Day 2023: What are the worst excuses for calling in sick?

INCREDIBLY there is a day in the British calendar known as Sickie Day.

But what is it all about and when is it?

When is National Sickie Day?

Everyone is tempted to have a day off when everything all comes a bit too much, but one day in particular sticks out in the calendar.

Traditionally the first Monday in February is the day when the greatest amount of UK employees take the day off work due to illness.

In 2023 this day falls on, Monday, February 6.

While excuses vary from food poisoning to flu, and everything in between, some receive some very bizarre excuses for their staff not attending work.

Mondays are the most popular day of the week for calling in sick.

What are the worst excuses for calling in sick?

According to employment law firm ELAS the worst excuses for missing work have included:

• “My only pair of work trousers is in the wash”
• “It’s my dog’s birthday and I need to arrange a party for him”
• “The dog ate my shoes”
• “I got arrested”
• “I lost my PPE”
• “I stayed out partying last night and haven’t had any sleep”
• “My friend is on annual leave so I can’t get a lift”
• “I have no way to get to work”
• “My wife earns more than me so I have to look after the kids”

Emma O’Leary, employment law consultant for the ELAS Group, said: “These excuses might sound weird and wonderful but they are all genuine reasons we have heard from our clients over the last year.

“As an employer you are perfectly entitled to challenge the authenticity of an absence; if an excuse seems too far-fetched then ask for evidence if appropriate.”

Many workers pull sickies due to the weather, tiredness or “they just don’t feel like it”.

After polling 100,000 workers across 3,000 firms, researchers at staff management software provider whittled down the answers to these top four excuses:

• An employee said they had the Ebola virus, a deadly fever which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa between 2013 and 2016
• Another said they were allergic to wearing yellow polo shirts which was the company’s uniform
• A third person said they claimed suffering from flu from getting colds after leaving their fridge door open
• Meanwhile, a fourth said they had left the window open and fog entered their house, making it impossible to see their alarm clock

How many people call in sick on National Sickie Day?

According to Employment Law Experts (ELAS), it was estimated that the number of employees calling in sick on the 2022 National Sickie Day was 350,000.

They predicted this will cost the UK economy around £45million, thanks to lost hours, wages and overtime.

IT company Insight found in a survey that about 8.6million people claimed sick days in 2022 because their jobs were “too painful”.

The firm called on bosses to offer employees more flexible working conditions.

What do people do on National Sickie Day?

While many spend the day nursing a hangover or recovering from illness in bed, some people take the day off to interview.

According to Hyper Recruitment Solutions, a quarter of February’s interviews take place on this day.

This is because many people re-evaluate their life after Christmas and spend January planning any new career changes ready for February interviews.