National Sickie Day: Over half of Brits admit to calling in sick due to a hangover

A brand new survey has revealed the most common excuses for skipping work in light of National Sickie Day, with Covid still being used as a fake sick day reason.

More than half of British workers have admitted to calling in sick because they were too hungover to work, according to a new survey conducted by flexible workspace experts Office Freedom.

The survey also found that younger workers are the most likely to ‘pull a sickie’, with only 14% of 16-24-year-olds saying they never call in sick, compared to 56.6% of over-55s who claim to always show up regardless of illness.

Common Sick Day Excuses

While hangovers topped the list, other common excuses included colds and flu (15.4%), nausea or vomiting (12.2%), migraines (7.5%), and family emergencies (7.4%). Among female workers, period pain was a significant reason, with 10.5% of 16-24-year-olds using it as an excuse.

Covid Still Used as an Excuse Five Years On

The survey also uncovered that nearly a third of workers have faked testing positive for Covid to get time off, despite the first UK cases being confirmed five years ago in February 2020.

When asked if they had ever used Covid as a reason to call in sick without actually testing positive, 29.3% admitted they had, with men (34%) more likely than women (25%) to lie about it. Shockingly, 10.7% said they had used the fake Covid excuse more than once.

Most Common Sick Day Excuses:

Hangover: 54%

Cold/Flu: 15.4%

Nausea/Vomiting: 12.2%

Migraine: 7.5%

Family Emergency: 7.4%

Period Pain (Female Workers): 3.5%

A spokesperson for Office Freedom commented: “National Sickie Day has long been associated with workers calling in sick after a heavy weekend, and our data shows that hangovers remain the most common reason for skipping work. However, it’s surprising to see how many people have also used Covid as an excuse years after the pandemic began.”