We all have days when we just don't want to emerge from under the duvet. Too many drinks the night before, a hectic social weekend or plain lack of motivation, and it's all too tempting to pick up the phone and tell a little white lie. But which one do you choose?
Suffering with a migraine or being up all night after some dodgy prawns are quite universal, but according to a report by recruitment firm, Personnel & Care Bank, based on feedback from their 11 recruitment agencies, excuses range from the ludicrous - "having a worn-out toothbrush", "being invited to go shopping" - to "not being able to find a dog sitter".
"A lot of the time people just wanted an excuse not to go to work that day. Maybe they had a better offer or they just didn't like a particular work assignment," says managing director Rosalind Payne. "The excuses were generally ones which involved taking the whole day off, not just a few hours, which invalidates it further."
Although there are no right or wrong excuses for absenteeism, some sound more convincing than others. Saying your washing machine has broken down and you've no clean work clothes or running out of hot water and being unable to shower almost seem acceptable; who relishes the prospect of being seated next to a dubious-smelling colleague? But other excuses cited in the report - not having the bus fare to go to work, being in the middle of preparing a tax audit, feeling like a walking time bomb due to constipation - are not good enough reasons for not going to work.
Whether you're in a permanent or temporary position it's a sober ing fact that once you've signed on the dotted line or verbally accepted the agency's booking you are under an obligation to actually go in and do the work - even if you don't always want to, or indeed if there are other things you'd like or even need to be doing instead. But if you don't like your job it's better to do something about it, rather than stretching your imagination for wacky excuses and risk being sacked or getting a bad reference.
Cary Cooper, BUPA professor of organisational psychology at UMIST, believes that staff could be so stressed they really don't know what they're saying. "Workplace stress is the second major cause for absenteeism and poor workplace morale. And home/work balance can take its toll. If someone just can't face going in they might say the first thing that comes into their head, or if they've used all the traditional excuses they could believe that a novel one sounds more plausible."
If stress is the underlying problem then communication is key says Karen Dale, press manager at the Institute of Management. "There could be a whole range of reasons for staff being absent but as a manager you'd need to measure when and why it's happening and deal with it constructively.
"People are balancing so many things today, it pays for an organisation to be flexible, so that rather than staff taking whole days off at a time with silly excuses, they could actually be honest and about what they need to do or how they feel about their job which would reduce the stress they're under".
It also works in another way. Telling your boss, for example, that you feel worn out or over-stressed sends back signals to the organisation that there could be a problem which they should address. And often it's the daily work routine that becomes the drag, so being able to work flexibly could be beneficial.
Diane Sinclair, employee relations advisor for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, agrees. "From the employee absence survey we conducted last year we discovered that staff would be happier if there were more flexibility at work.
"You could take a few hours to get personal things done and make up the time over the rest of the week. Having to phone in with phoney excuses just so that you can achieve this would be a thing of the past and it would certainly cost organisations a lot less."
Some firms believe that "duvet days" are the key for a motivated, happy workforce while others feel staff would take advantage of those days and still want more. Flexible working hours could be the cheaper option.
Being absent from work on a frequent basis can get you into serious trouble, especially if your excuses are verging on the ridiculous. If you don't feel commitment to your present employer, remember that your absenteeism records will never be far behind.
