Would you take a fake sick day from work? This is what people say

Can sick days be used for when you just don’t feel like working? What was onoce a dilemma is now a resounding yes: Ninety-two percent of workers said they are comfortable taking a sick day because they don’t feel like working, according to a recent poll by Blind.

With the coronavirus pandemic increasing burnout and work-related stress in workers, there’s no better time to take a mental health day than now.

What workers at top companies say about sick days

If you’re hesitant about taking the day just because you feel like it, relax — workers at companies around the US say that using sick days for anything is fair game.

“100% yes,” said one Microsoft employee responding to the poll. “[Work-from-home] has blurred healthy work and life boundaries and now, more than ever, you need to take those mental health days.”

Another worker at the tech giant said they were encouraged to take sick days for both being physically sick and mentally sick of work.

“My manager at Microsoft when I joined, told me: ‘you can be sick or sick of being at work. Both are valid reasons to take sick days,’” they said.

An Amazon employee said that there doesn’t need to be a reason to take a day off, just put it in and take off.

“It counts. If you are stressed out and mentally spent, this would be a valid reason for a personal or sick day. Why not? Sick of work right?,” another said.

Why do employees call in sick?

Whether or not you’re actually sick is your own call, but more employees admit they lie when they call in sick to work than you probably thought.

More than one third of workers say they have called in sick to work when they were feeling fine, according to one study. Research from CareerBuilder found that even when employees were able to take time off for personal reasons, they still found a way to carve together some excuse for missing work.

You can be fired for taking a fake sick day

If you’re wondering if your phony excuse is going to work in order for you to get the day, consider this: you could be fired for taking a fake sick day.

Twenty-six percent of employers said they have fired someone who had lied when calling in sick. You don’t need to provide a reason for why you are sick, but it’s best to be honest and tell your boss that you need a day in order to get yourself back on track.