Faking an illness never felt so good.
Be honest, have you ever done it?
As National Sickie Day (5 February) approaches, TV streaming service NOW TV have compiled some data showcasing some very telling habits of Irish people when it comes to sick days.
For example, most Irish adults have been pulling sickies since their primary school days and it seems that faking a dodgy tummy is everyone’s go-to excuse with 63% of survey respondents using it as their most frequent false illness, followed closely by a counterfeit cold or flu.
Surprisingly, the hangover didn’t top the list as the most common reason for staying at home (15%) but it’s wanting more time in bed that most makes us want to stay at home under the covers (30%).
According to the research, over a quarter agree that hump day, is the best day to pull a sickie, the reason being it’s less suspicious than a day closer to the weekend and it splits up the week. Very clever.
On sick days, the majority of us tend to spend time watching TV or films, with comedies topping the poll as the preferred entertainment genre with 22% of the vote. As for what exactly we usually watch, Modern Family (28%) Bridget Jones’ Diary (32%) Sex & The City (23%) and Dexter (16%) all come out on top.
While pulling a faux sick day seems like a great idea at the time, one in four of us admit to feeling guilt-ridden when doing so, with the biggest consequence of taking a day off is the work that awaits when you get back to the office.
When it comes to social media, 70% avoid posting anything on their accounts when faking an illness to avoid getting caught out by their boss.
However, 17% of us claim there are no consequences in calling in sick and feel guilt free to enjoy their day. Sounds like someone we know, alright…
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