Earlier this month, the topic of doctor “sick notes” became a hot topic when The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) mentioned that too much of it, takes away from their members regular duties. The media spent a considerable amount of time on the subject and it appears to have hit a nerve with both employee and employers alike.
In a recent CareerBuilder survey, featured on forbes.com website is a list of the excuses employees gave when they called in sick. Some of them are downright funny, while others sound incredulous at best.

Below is a partial list of these excuses:

Excuse: Employee said the chemical in turkey made him fall asleep and he missed his shift.
Excuse: Employee’s false teeth flew out the window while driving down the highway.
Excuse: Employee felt like he was so angry he was going to hurt someone if he came in.
Excuse: Employee said that someone glued her doors and windows shut so she couldn’t leave the house to come to work.
Excuse: Employee’s favorite football team lost on Sunday so needed Monday to recover.

Some companies have policies in place where each employee has a few paid days that can be used for personal things for such as sick, floaters etc. Some of the respondents to the Globe and Mail article mentioned something as basic as trust between an employer and employee.

Would an Absence and Leave Management System help? It can, but that all depends on the corporate culture of an organization and the communication with its employees.  So, as the frigid temperatures of 2014 continues so, does the debate of calling in sick.

To learn more about ATS call us at 1.866.294.2467 or go to our website.