Worst Excuses to Call In Sick

We've all had to call in sick at some point in our careers. I'll be honest: in my younger years, I might have used some slightly shady reasons to not go into work. I now try to maintain truth as my rule of thumb, but this didn't stop me from scouring the web to find some of the world's weirdest (and just plain dumb) call in excuses.

My Favorite American Idol Contestant was Voted Off

With the popularity of the show, this was bound to happen, but what in the world would make someone think this was a good enough reason to skip work? It's bad enough that someone would actually say this to their boss which leads me to believe they might have been telling the truth. Sometimes the truth is scarier than fiction.

No Underwear

Hmmm, this one is a little tricky, so I'll tread lightly. Softpedia.com compiled a list of the 10 worst excuses to call into work with this coming in last. I feel that it deserves a little more attention than that so here it is: an employee calls in claiming to be unable to work because he has no clean underwear to wear. He should probably move laundry day up to an earlier time.

My Garage Door Won't Open

A manager answered a question regarding the worst call-in-sick excuses on a message board. She claimed that an employee called her to tell her that because the power was out, he could not open his garage door to drive his car to work. She was kind enough to explain to him that there is a pull on the garage door to use in these exact instances. Wowsers! Some folks just aren't hip to garage doors these days.

Too Many Chores

According to CNN.com, a man's wife called his superior to let him know her husband would not be at work that day because he had too many chores to do around the house. I'm not sure if this man's position was still there when he returned from his chores, but I can bet he had one bad case of dish pan hands.

Stuck in the Bathroom

It's not what you think. He hasn't come down with the stomach flu. An employee calls from his cell phone to explain to his boss that he's accidentally locked himself in a stall and there's nobody around to let him out. He must have used those tricky, lock from the outside, stalls. Apparently the stall also had a floor-to-ceiling wall and a door as well. He probably should have thought this one through a little more.

My Apartment Building Burnt Down

Normally, we would feel great compassion for this person. After all, they've likely lost all of their possessions. But, blogger L. Michael Akbar, explains that according to the caller I.D., the employee was calling from that very apartment. Must be hot in there.

There's a Wild Buffalo on the Loose

In a survey by Career Builder, hiring managers told their tales of call in excuses. Number 2 on that list was an employee who called to explain she wouldn't be coming to work because a wild buffalo had escaped from the game reserve and was trying to charge her every time she attempted to get into her car. I'm sure he just wanted a lift.

I think for the most part that our usual excuses are fairly valid, but these people give us something to talk about. While everyone agrees honesty is the best policy, nobody said these people were lying! We should all thank our lucky stars that we haven't encountered an enraged buffalo or that we're for the most part responsible enough to make sure our undies are clean and ready to go come Monday morning. But, as office workers, managers, and even small business owners, I'm sure you've heard some whoppers. Share your call in excuse stories.