Best sick day excuses | news.com.au Australias leading news site
THERE’S nothing like a Monday morning sickie. But whatever you do, don’t tell the boss you have a head cold.
A survey of 2500 employers and employees by UK healthcare company Benenden has revealed the “most acceptable” reasons for calling in sick.
The consensus is those with a simple case of the sniffles don’t get much sympathy. Vomiting was named the most acceptable reason with 72.9 per cent support, closely followed by diarrhoea (71.0 per cent).
Less than two thirds (58.1 per cent) of people believed the flu was a good reason, and just over half supported people with a ‘sick bug’ (53.2 per cent).
Migraine (36.5 per cent), stress (19.0 per cent), mental health issues (16.9 per cent) and head cold (11.4 per cent) received the least sympathy.
Benenden director Inji Duducu told The Independent the results highlighted problems in the way mental health issues are perceived at work.
“There seems to be a clear lack of understanding from some employers in terms of employee wellbeing,” she said.
“There is a strong commercial case for having a healthy and engaged workforce, yet employers are evidently ignoring the impact of an employee’s physical and mental wellbeing on productivity, absenteeism and [length of service].”
A survey last year by Australian workplace management firm Direct Health Solutions found Australian employees are taking an average 9.5 sick days a year and costing businesses $33 billion in payroll and lost productivity.
Following three years of declining absenteeism levels, that figure jumped from 8.9 days in 2013 to 9.5 days in 2014, with the annual cost of absenteeism rising to $3,230 per employee, or $340 per day.
Absence levels were highest in travel, tourism and hospitality (11.9 days), followed by transport and logistics workers (11.6 days), and telecommunications and utilities (10 days).
“Chucking a sickie” was the third most common reason for absenteeism behind unexpected illness and carer’s leave.
Direct Health Solutions managing director Paul Dundon blamed the “sickie culture” on an entitlement mentality in Australia. “Entitlement mentality is a complex issue,” Mr Dundon said.
“However part of the reason we have an entitlement culture in Australia is the fear management have in managing sick leave — it is seen more as an entitlement to take, rather than a safety net provision when one has an unexpected family emergency or personal illness.”
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER A GOOD ENOUGH REASON TO CALL IN SICK?
• Vomiting (72.9 per cent)
• Diarrhoea (71.0 per cent)
• Flu (58.1 per cent)
• Sick bug (53.2 per cent)
• A migraine (36.5 per cent)
• Stress (19.0 per cent)
• Mental health issues (16.9 per cent)
• A head cold (11.4 per cent)
Source: Benenden
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