Tricky with the sickie

Picture the scene: it’s late at night, you’ve had one drink too many and the friends you invited over for “just the one, because it’s a school night” show no sign of leaving.

Talk turns to your plans for the following day. Everyone heaves a collective groan at the thought of getting up for work in the morning.

Someone jokingly suggests you should all call in sick and carry on the party. You start to think: what excuse could you possibly have for missing work in the middle of the week?

Well, you don’t have to strain your booze-soaked noggin any further – you can now simply log on to Working From Home Ninja, a website set up by an American social marketing company which generates excuses for missing work.

The site automatically produces your golden ticket to a long lie-in, delivering a combination of standard and outlandish excuses such as “a water pipe burst at home”, “I have an upset stomach”, “My daughter is sick”, “I’m training for a triathlon and have to do a swim, run and bike ride today”, “I am doing my civic duty of saving the environment by not driving into work” and, our particular favourite, “My dog is about to give birth to a dozen puppies.”

Other gems from the Ninja appear below.

About the author

Margaret Anne Soderqvist-Clark

Margaret Anne is Deputy Director of Legal Services at Law at Work. Advising clients on all aspects of employment law, she has particular expertise in discrimination, equal pay and equality matters. She also has extensive experience of advising on redundancies, business reorganisations, TUPE and all aspects of the employment relationship.