More than half of Britons have admitted to taking a day or more off work without permission, most commonly because of a hangover, because they overslept or because they want to go on a mini break or holiday. Diarrhoea and vomiting, the flu and family emergencies were the most common excuses given to do so, but 23% were unfortunate enough to be found out.
Photo: PA
The study was undertaken by the team at flight-comparison site www.Jetcost.co.uk.
Initially it was found that more than half of Britons have taken a day or more off work without permission from their employer. The top answers were found to be as follows:
1. Because of a hangover – 41%
2. I overslept – 14%
3. To go on mini break/holiday – 12%
4. To attend a sports event – 8%
5. To attend a music event/festival – 5%
Focusing on those who had taken unscheduled time off work to go on a mini break or holiday, the top reasons for having to skive were found to be ‘I had no annual leave left’ (20%), ‘there were too many people already booked off at the same time’ (16%) and ‘it was too short notice to book off’ (14%).
The average time taken off by those who missed work to go on holiday was found to be 4 days, and the most popular destinations were found to be Spain, Ireland and Cape Verde.
When asked what excuse they had given their employer prior to going on a mini break or holiday, the most popular excuses were revealed as ‘sickness and diarrhoea’, ‘the flu’ and ‘a family emergency’.
Of those that had taken unscheduled time off work for to go away, it was found that almost a quarter had been found out by their bosses. The most common ways in which they were exposed were ‘by posting a picture on social media’, ‘a colleague let it slip’ and ‘I couldn’t provide a valid sick note’. 35% of those that were caught were fired, whilst a further 46% faced some form of disciplinary action.
Commenting on the results of the study, a spokesperson for www.Jetcost.co.uk, said:
“Everybody loves a holiday, and everyone should have the right to one, but you need to follow the correct procedures with your place of work. It can be frustrating when told you are not allowed to take annual leave, especially at short notice or because others have already booked the time off, but if you give yourself enough time and book early enough, you can avoid this disappointment and the consequences that follow.”