Survey compiles memorable excuses for calling off work

CINCINNATI - “I can’t come in to work because…”

Employers have heard some pretty bizarre excuses to skip work, but a new survey Career Builder released Thursday compiled a list of the craziest reason for calling into work.

About 30 percent of workers over the past year called in sick even when they weren’t, according to the survey. Also, sick days, legitimate or otherwise, were more frequent around the winter holidays, with nearly one-third of employers reporting more employees call in sick during the holiday season.

Some of the more memorable excuses the survey gathered included:

• Employee’s sobriety tool wouldn't allow the car to start
• Employee forgot he had been hired for the job
• Employee said her dog was having a nervous breakdown
• Employee’s dead grandmother was being exhumed for a police investigation
• Employee’s toe was stuck in a faucet
• Employee said a bird bit her
• Employee was upset after watching “The Hunger Games"
• Employee got sick from reading too much
• Employee was suffering from a broken heart
• Employee’s hair turned orange from dying her hair at home

The survey was conducted from Aug. 13 to Sept. 6, 2012 and included 2,494 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,976 workers across industries and company sizes.

To read the rest of the results, go to https://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?sd=10%2f11%2f2012&sc_cmp1=cb_pr720_&siteid=cbpr&id=pr720&ed=12%2f31%2f2012 .