10 excuses for missing work that are more creative than yours

Sorry about that hangnail. Get well soon and thank you for fighting through the agony to read this post. I’ll make it worth your while.

It’s that time of year again: roadtrip with the boys to the FourLoko distillery CareerBuilder’s Annual Survey of the “Most Unusual Excuses Employees Gave for Calling In Sick.” In last year’s survey, “Employee’s 12-year-old daughter stole his car and he had no other way to work. Employee didn’t want to report it to the police” topped the list.

Find out what made the Top 10 this year, after the jump…

Here are ten crazazy excuses that employers shared with CareerBuilder for this year’s survey:

• Employee’s sobriety tool wouldn’t allow the car to start
• Employee forgot he had been hired for the job
• Employee said her dog was having a nervous breakdown
• Employee’s dead grandmother was being exhumed for a police investigation
• Employee’s toe was stuck in a faucet
• Employee said a bird bit her
• Employee was upset after watching “The Hunger Games”
• Employee got sick from reading too much
• Employee was suffering from a broken heart
• Employee’s hair turned orange from dying her hair at home

According to the survey, 29% of employers have checked up on an employee to verify that the illness is legitimate, usually by requiring a doctor’s note or calling the employee later in the day. Some employers have had other employees call a suspected faker (18%) or drive by the employee’s home (14%). 17% of employers have fired employees for giving a fake excuse.

Which excuse is yours your favorite? Have you heard a better one from one of your employees? Let me know in the comments below.

(h/t Dan Wisniewski @ HRMorning.com)