Flexioffices prides itself on being experts in the supply of serviced office space across the UK, appreciating that its clients’ employees’ productivity and happiness all starts with the perfect office space for them. However, what they don’t often get to see is the softer side of business, how an employee calling in sick can affect the day to day running of its clients’ organisations.
Sick days are part and parcel of working life; however Flexioffices had a sneaky suspicion that not all sick days are what they might seem at first. After all, how often can Barry from accounts really call in with symptoms of a rare tropical disease? He doesn’t even have a passport.
Flexioffices’ UK-wide survey asked over 2,000 people in the UK to come clean, telling us the real reasons behind thousands of Oscar winning gravelly voiced renditions of the ‘”there’s no way I can make it in today” call’ to bosses across the nation on a daily basis.
From simply wanting to enjoy the sun, through to feigning a stinking cold in order to watch a major sporting event, Brits even reach for the textbook of sick day excuses so they don’t miss the last day of the sales.
A fuller description of some of the reasons, include:
1. To go to a job interview elsewhere
31% of respondents said they had called in sick in order to attend a job interview, with people in the South West stating this as being the number one reason above all others for having a sick day. 2. I had a hangover
26% of respondents have taken a sick day because of a hangover, with respondents from the North West most likely to succumb to a booze induced day off, closely followed by Londoners and Scots.
3. To watch a major sporting event
11% of respondents have pulled a sickie to watch a major sporting event, with 18-24 year olds from the North East being the most dedicated fans in the nation.
4. Its nice weather outside
As good a reason as any, especially according to survey respondents from the West Midlands, who don’t need any convincing that topping up the tan is more than enough reason for a bunged up call to the boss.
5. Its Monday
Simply the fact it’s a Monday is the fifth most popular reason for pulling a sickie. Monday must be getting a real complex, especially following a survey by ITV earlier this year stating that the first Monday of February emerged as “national sickie day” with workers struggling under the weight of credit card bills, a long wait until the next holiday and wintry weather. Flexioffices’ survey shows that Monday is particularly unpopular amongst 18-24 year olds in the East of England.
To discover the full top ten of the nation’s real sick day excuses, head over to the Flexioffices blog, where the ‘Top 10 reasons for pulling a sickie’ are revealed.
