‘Sick’ after the Super Bowl? Best — and worst — excuses

If you plan to call in “sick” the day after the Super Bowl, you aren’t alone: A whopping 14 million workers are expected to not show up. So, what excuses will work on your boss?

The day after the Big Game is wellknown for employees calling in and one of the biggest sick days of the year — known as “Super Sick Monday.” But beware, employers have been known to check whether an employee is indeed ill.

A CareerBuilder survey found 33% of employers have looked into whether an employee was telling the truth, either by asking for a doctor’s note, calling the employee or driving by the worker’s home.

Twenty-two percent of employers say they have fired an employee for calling in with a fake excuse, the survey found.

So, what are the best excuses to get the extra day off unscathed?

Well, for starters, you probably shouldn’t use any of these reasons, laid out in the same CareerBuilder survey, which detailed the craziest excuses employees used for calling in sick.

Employee was bit by a duck. Employee said her roots were showing and she had to keep her hair appointment because she looked like a mess.

Employee was bowling the game of his life and couldn’t make it to work.

Employee was experiencing traumatic stress from a large spider found in her home. She had to stay home to deal with the spider.

Employee said he had better things to do.

You have to respect the honesty of that last one, though.

Fox’s Family Guy also won’t provide any good pointers. You probably shouldn’t tell your boss you were in a plane crash and are now a vegetable just to get the day off.

Some legitimate excuses include food poisoning or a family emergency. Influenza could also be used because of particularly bad flu season this year, but your boss could ask for a doctor’s note.

The website the balance, which focuses on personal finance and career information, says it’s best to let your boss know as soon as possible if you plan to call in sick, but keep your excuse simple: Sometimes all the extra details in an excuse can make it seem fake.

A survey of employers across the United Kingdom found the flu, back pain, injuries in an accident and stress as the most believable excuses. Most managers didn’t think a migraine was a good enough excuse to call in sick, the survey by AXA PPP Healthcare found.