Did your team call in sick at this time on this day?

Looking at the leave application record for the year, it is not surprising to find November and December are the "peak season" for staff to pull a sickie.

According to a study of 1,000 UK employees conducted by market research company Attest, 48% of people are more likely to bunk off work in November and December than any other time of the year. The reason-   the party season has officially arrived.

While the most popular day of the week to call in sick is Monday (48%) followed by Friday (26%) according to a CareerBuilder survey, these days are not considered to be the best in convincing others that one is actually under the weather, 65% said they won’t buy it.

According to the research by Attest, the perfect formula for successfully calling in sick – and to be believed -is to do it on a Tuesday morning at 6:38am with "stomach problems".

More than a third (34%) say a stomach problem is the most believable excuse and having an STD is the worst (3%).

Here are some of the weird and wonderful excuses for taking a sick day from the Attest research:

• The cat fell down the stairs• Mother’s funeral (4 times in the same year)• The family goat is missing• My belly button exploded• I’m having a bad hair day• I was bitten by a tiger• My ceiling has fallen down

ALSO READ: One in 10 Hong Kongers have abused their sick leave

Photo/ 123RF