Darts caller Russ Bray and celebrity lookalike Tim Oliver, launch the Fireball Sicknote service (Image: PinPep)
A staggering six out of 10 people reportedly put on a ‘fake voice’ when calling in sick to work, aiming to make their excuse more believable.
A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that the top reasons for pulling a sickie in December include Christmas parties, late-night celebrations with friends and family, and general festive burnout from excessive socialising.
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While 41% still prefer to call their boss to inform them of their ‘illness’, 20% do it via email and 14% use a text message. Some even delegate the task to someone else.
This comes as a unique has been launched for Darts Fans at Alexandra Palace following a big night at the World Darts Championship.
Leveraging the skills of legendary darts caller Russ Bray and comedic celebrity impersonator Tim Oliver, fans can record in-person sick notes with the stars to be sent directly to their bosses, eliminating the need for the dreaded phone call.
Lorenzo Farronato, spokesperson for Fireball Whisky, which commissioned the research, commented:”Attitudes towards sick days vary as some regions are clearly more relaxed about taking time off. While some may view it as bending the rules, others see it simply to catch-up on rest during the busiest time of year.”
A recent poll has revealed that Scottish workers are the most likely to call in sick, averaging four ‘sickies’ during the December run-up to Christmas. Interestingly, Scots also feel the least guilt about taking time off when they’re not genuinely ill, unlike 45% of Londoners who do.
In contrast, Yorkshire residents only tend to take sick days when they truly need them, while a significant 37% of people in the West Midlands admit to feigning illness just to enjoy an extra day off.
The study, conducted by OnePoll, discovered that 38% of all adults spend their faux sick days catching up on sleep, and 27% use the time to socialise with friends and family.
Upon returning to work, 32% reported feeling rejuvenated and ready to dive back into their duties, and a whopping 62% would back their workplace offering additional ‘flexible leave’ during the festive season.