Hongkongers share tips on pulling a sickie

This article was first published in Human Resources.

Studies have found November and December are the "peak season" for staff to pull a sickie, with Monday and Friday being the most most popular days of the week for employees to call in sick.

In Hong Kong, one in 10 employees has admitted to abusing their sick leave. The most common reasons for malingering are having to deal with family issues, attending a job interview, or celebrating one's birthday.

Recently, a reluctant employee started a conversation on Hong Kong Discussion Group on how to pull a sickie because he doesn't want to attend a company event.

He proposed he would start wearing a face mask a couple of days before the event, apply for sick leave one day before the event, and then call in sick on the event day, informing his supervisor he is still running a fever and would like to take another day off.

A reader of the post reminded the topic starter he should also wear a mask on the next day to work to make his story more believable.

Another respondent suggested he should bring some medication to the office a couple of days before the event, and then take them during lunch time to show colleagues he is under the weather.

There are also respondents who think there is no need to go through so much trouble, as long as he is able to present his supervisor with a doctor's certificate.

Besides faking illness, there are many other creative ways for employees to escape work. In an online post, an employee shared his colleague was unable to report to work due to a power failure at his apartment.

According to the colleague, the elevator was not able to function and he had a phobia about taking the stairs because he had been robbed in a stairway before.

Managers, please share with us on social media what are the most creative reasons you have heard from your team members for not showing up for work.