Employers check up on sick staff

Half of UK employers say they check up on employees who call in sick and nine per cent claim to drive by their employees home to check if they are faking sickness, according to a new survey.

Half of UK employers say they check up on employees who call in sick and nine per cent claim to drive by their employees home to check if they are faking sickness, according to a new survey.

Thirteen percent of 190 business leaders surveyed by CareerBuilder have fired an employee for not having a legitimate reason for missing work.

The survey shows employers who suspect employees of faking a sickie have used different tactics to investigate the absence, especially if the employee is a chronic offender. Twenty nine per cent have required a doctor’s note; 19 per cent have called the employee; seven per cent had another employee call the employee; and six per cent checked the employee’s social networking page.

“If you lie about the reason for needing time off, you can seriously hurt your credibility with your employer,” said Tony Roy, President of CareerBuilder EMEA.  “The vast majority of employers – 79 per cent – enable workers to use sick days for mental health days to rest, recharge and return more productive, so your best bet is to be up front and honest with your manager.”

When asked to share examples of the most unusual excuses they received from workers calling in sick, employers reported the following:

– Employee’s foot was stuck in the toilet.
– Employee said someone threw a garden gnome through his window.
- Employee claimed to be attacked by a shark.
– Employee witnessed someone being pushed under a train.
– Employee had a nightmare and felt out of sorts.
- Employee was intoxicated by burning vines.
– Employee got her finger stuck in a car door.
– Employee injured his leg chasing his dog to prevent it from attacking a rabbit.
– Employee had to take his mother shopping.

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