The worst excuses for pulling a sickie

Monday February 2 has been christened National Sickie Day, with 69 per cent of people saying they would be tempted to take the first Monday of February off work.

These were the top five reasons for pulling a sickie from a survey of 1,600 adults:

1 It's cold and dark outside (really)

2 I genuinely feel ill

3 I've got a hangover

4 I need a lie-in

5 I'm feeling overworked or stressed

These are five of the most unreasonable excuses encountered:

1 Claiming a child is off school

2 Pretending to have had a death in the family

3 Pretending to attend a funeral

4 Claiming your car has broken down and you are waiting to be rescued

5 Pretending to have injured yourself, such as suffering a sprained ankle

And these are five of the most outrageously unreasonable excuses:

1 "I've accidently locked myself in the bathroom and I have to wait until someone with a key to the house can come round to let me out."

2 "I've accidently sent my uniform to the charity shop so I need to go and buy it back."

3 "My plastic surgery has gone wrong and I need to go and get it fixed."

4 "I thought it was a bank holiday and I'm 500 miles away."

5 "I missed the stop on the train this morning and I can't get off the train now until London."

Source: Fine Bedding Company

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