A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that six out of 10 people who phone in sick for work adopt a 'phony voice' to make their excuse more convincing. The main reasons cited for taking a sick day in December include Christmas parties, late-night celebrations with loved ones and overall festive fatigue from excessive socialising.
While 41% still prefer to call their boss directly to report their 'sickness', one in five do it via email and 14% use a text message to deliver the news, with some even delegating the task to someone else. The study also revealed that 38% of all adults spend their fake sick days sleeping, and a third use the time to be with friends and family. It comes as a sick note service has been introduced for Darts Fans at Alexandra Palace following a big night at the World Darts Championship.
Leveraging the skills of renowned darts announcer Russ Bray and comedic celebrity impersonator Tim Oliver, fans have had the opportunity to record in-person sick notes with the stars to be sent straight to their boss, eliminating the need for them to make the call themselves.
Lorenzo Farronato, spokesperson for Fireball Whisky, which commissioned the study, commented: "Attitudes towards sick days vary as some regions are clearly more relaxed about taking time off. "While some may view it as bending the rules, others see it simply to catch-up on rest during the busiest time of year.".
