Buzz
Everyone occasionally needs a day to relax and clear their mind without any plans. Unfortunately, your workplace may not appreciate this spontaneous decision, even if you have a valid reason. Fortunately, there’s still a way to handle this situation: calling in sick. While this isn’t a method you can use too often, it can help you get the necessary break. To call in sick convincingly, you need to make your colleagues believe you’ve been feeling unwell since the day before, call your boss, express genuine regret for staying home, and mention your illness without exaggerating.
Steps
Make the Call
Call your boss or supervisor early in the morning. Don’t delay. The sooner you inform your boss, the better. Additionally, your voice may sound raspier right after waking up, adding credibility to your claim. Calling early also increases the chance of reaching your boss directly or leaving a voicemail before they get too busy. If you call too late, you might come across as inconsiderate.
- Keep it brief. While knowing the details of your "illness" might make you feel prepared, remember that overly elaborate stories can sound fabricated. Avoid going into too much detail; simply state that you’re unwell and won’t be able to come in. Provide just enough information to sound believable, such as "I was up all night" or "I’m having serious stomach issues."
- You could also say something like, "I know I should have mentioned this yesterday, but I was hoping I’d feel better by now." Avoid being too explicit, but emphasize how much you wish you could be at work.
Make sure you appear sick. While you shouldn’t overact when calling your boss, acting a bit under the weather won’t hurt if you genuinely seem unwell. In addition to a raspy voice in the early morning call, you can sneeze or cough occasionally to make your boss think you’re sick without overdoing it. Speaking slower or softer can also show you’re not at full strength. Practice to make your voice more convincing.
- If you want your voice to sound raspier, try screaming into a pillow for about 10 seconds before making the call. Be cautious, though, as this might strain your throat, so ensure it’s worth the effort.
- You should also appear slightly distracted and disoriented. If you seem too sharp and quick to answer any questions, it’ll be harder to convince your boss you’re genuinely unwell.
Prepare for questions. If your boss is the nosy type, try to anticipate the kinds of questions they might ask. For example, if you work in the food service industry, your boss might wonder how you got sick. They might also ask if you’ve tried everything to feel better and return to work. The best approach is to say you might have caught something and that you’ve tried all possible remedies (painkillers, antacids, drinking plenty of water, etc.) but nothing has worked.
- Casually mention that you’ve called the doctor’s office and are waiting for a confirmation due to their busy schedule. During flu season, it might take days to get an appointment. If your boss requests a doctor’s note upon your return, you can always say the appointment isn’t until next week, giving you enough time to visit a doctor.
End the conversation on a positive note. When wrapping up the call with your boss, try to leave the best impression possible. You can say you’ll do your best to recover and return to work the next day, which might earn their sympathy. Show commitment to your job and eagerness to resume your responsibilities, but don’t overdo it. Let your boss feel you’re genuinely sorry for taking the day off, not that you can’t wait to binge-watch TV and neglect your duties.
- You can tell your boss they can call you anytime if they really need your help. If you’re willing to be disturbed on your fake sick day, you might say, “I’ll be resting all day, so if you need anything, feel free to call…” But only say this if you think your boss won’t actually bother you.
- End the conversation by thanking your boss for their understanding.
Consistent Acting
Stick to the script of being sick when you return to work. Don’t return to work looking completely healthy. Act as if you’re still recovering. Blow your nose a few times or cough lightly. You don’t need to overact or pretend too much, but avoid looking overly energetic. Don’t bring up your illness unless asked, and downplay it by saying, “I’m feeling much better, really,” or, “I just need one more good night’s sleep to fully recover.”
- If you want to appear more convincing, avoid oversleeping the night before returning to work to maintain a tired and worn-out look. This will help if you need to call in sick again in the future (and you’ll have a reason for staying up late).
- Be slightly reserved on your first day back. Avoid being overly friendly or chatting too much with colleagues, and politely decline invitations. Remember, you still need to “recover.”
Don’t tell your coworkers you faked being sick. You might think you’re close enough to them that they’d never expose you, but it’s still risky to admit you pretended to be ill. Coworkers won’t celebrate with you; instead, they might see you as irresponsible or troublesome. Plus, if they repeat what you said to your boss, you’ll not only face trouble but also lose the chance to fake being sick in the future.
- Additionally, calling in sick when you’re not can make your boss doubt whether you’re truly ill next time. You don’t want to spend the rest of your career defending your honesty.
- It’s true that everyone needs a day off occasionally, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, bragging about it can make you seem unserious about your job.
Be friendly with your boss. After calling in sick, maintain a positive relationship with your boss when you return to work. You don’t need to bring up your illness or thank them for understanding, but show a good attitude and send positive signals their way. Remind your boss what a great employee you are and leave no doubt in their mind that you might have lied.
- You don’t need to overdo your friendliness or constantly declare how much you love your job and how it gives your life meaning.
Be highly productive. When you return to work after faking sick, go the extra mile. This isn’t the day to arrive an hour late, spend two hours on personal calls, or book your next vacation. Instead, work diligently all day, respond to emails promptly, and do whatever it takes to leave a strong impression.
- You might need to explain yourself to coworkers, but keep it light and stay positive. Avoid letting your boss hear you complain after taking a day off.
- Faking sick occasionally is fine, but if it becomes a habit of slacking off, your job could be at risk. Strive to show as much positivity as possible after returning.
Preparing to Call
Choose the right timing. You might think any day is a good day to fake being sick, but if you’re serious about it, put more thought into your plan. Picking the wrong day can make it harder to come up with a convincing excuse. Ensure that any major challenges are manageable before proceeding. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Prepare a solid reason if you call in sick on a Monday or Friday. Your boss might find it hard to believe you were sick all weekend.
- Make sure you haven’t been sick recently or taken too many days off.
- Avoid faking sick right after a workplace argument or excessive complaining. You don’t want your boss to see your absence as an insult. Your excuse will be more believable if everything was fine before your last workday.
- Try not to fake sick on a particularly uncomfortable workday. If your boss knows you dread monthly meetings, don’t call in sick on that day, no matter how tempting it feels.
- Fake sick when someone else in the office is also ill or during flu season. This way, your boss won’t suspect anything, as everyone is getting sick.
Scale back on basic tasks. If you plan to call in sick, subtly show signs of fatigue the day before without being too obvious. Avoid pretending to cough all day; just act slightly uncomfortable and maybe sneeze a little so coworkers might ask if you’re feeling unwell, which you can then downplay. Act as if you’re sick but deny it to avoid raising suspicions. Laying this groundwork the day before makes your absence the next day more believable.
- Be more reserved that day. If you’re full of energy the day before and then call in sick, people will be surprised. Decline lunch invites or after-work drinks before calling in sick.
- Casually take painkillers or fever reducers in front of coworkers.
- Be quieter than usual.
- If you eat lunch with colleagues, don’t finish your meal to appear less enthusiastic about food.
- Look slightly disheveled that day. Keep your hair a bit messy, avoid dressing too sharply, and let some tiredness show around your eyes.
Understand your illness. While your boss might not ask too many questions, it’s crucial to know what’s “wrong” with you before calling in. Instead of just saying you feel unwell, mention a headache, stomachache, cold, or flu to make your excuse more convincing. Be ready to answer potential questions, like when you started feeling sick, when you’ll return, and if you’ve seen a doctor. Avoid sounding uncertain, or your boss might suspect you’re faking.
- If you need multiple days off, choose a plausible illness. Migraines or severe stomach flu can justify at least two days, as these conditions can linger or recur. Pink eye or strep throat can also buy you more time. Research your chosen illness to discuss symptoms confidently.
- Practice discussing your condition with a close friend to ensure you sound convincing. While your boss might not delve into details, it’s better to be prepared.
Prepare to rest at home. Don’t fake being sick and then go hiking with your spouse or attend a lively party with friends. If you call in sick and are seen actively participating in outdoor activities, it could get back to your boss. Instead, call in sick when you genuinely want to relax at home, take a walk, and unwind—just do what you’d do if you were actually sick, minus the discomfort.
- Additionally, returning to work with a sunburn after a “sick day” will raise suspicions.
- When you call in sick, it’s best to stay off social media platforms you usually frequent on “sick days.” This way, your boss won’t accidentally see photos of you hiking when you’re supposedly ill or notice comments that reveal your perfectly healthy state.
Tips
- Avoid calling in sick too often on Mondays or Fridays—extended weekends will raise eyebrows. Tuesdays are a safer bet. Similarly, don’t make it a habit to take days off during critical periods, like when the team is working overtime to meet deadlines. Such behavior risks damaging relationships with colleagues, especially if anyone suspects you’re faking.
- Building a reputation as a loyal worker can erase any doubts from your boss or coworkers. If you’re known for slacking off or avoiding work, faking sick will be harder to pull off.
- Never tell anyone you’re faking sick, or they might inform your boss or others, landing you in trouble!
- Don’t plan your sick day in advance. If your boss finds out you’ve been hinting at a sick day for weeks, you could lose your job.
- If you’re handling an urgent project but still want a day off, go to work in the morning. Focus on your tasks and keep quiet. If asked, simply say you’re feeling unwell. When you decide to leave, inform your boss you’re feeling ill and need to go home. Don’t ask—just state it. Explain that you’ve completed urgent tasks for the day, leaving no room for refusal.
- Build a reputation. Go to work when you’re genuinely sick, and your boss won’t suspect you when you fake it. Showing up a few times while seriously ill (or contagious) will make your boss grateful when you finally call in sick, thinking you’ve taken their advice to rest.
- Only call your boss directly. Don’t ask someone else to relay the message, or they might call you back, forcing you to fake it all over again!
- Don’t call too late, or your boss might get suspicious.
- If you have kids, they can be a valid excuse for taking a day off. However, you might regret not spending more time at home when your child is actually sick, so use this carefully.
- If you spend your sick day at the beach, don’t forget sunscreen. Showing up at work the next day with a lobster-red sunburn will expose your lie.
Warnings
- Don’t use a family member’s death as an excuse—your boss will likely find out, and you’ll lose their trust if a real tragedy occurs.
- If you need too many days off, reevaluate your job. It might be taking a toll on your health due to stress, anxiety, or frustration. Consider a career change if necessary.
- Most companies track employee absences meticulously. Check with HR to understand how your attendance is recorded and whether a doctor’s note can exempt you from penalties. Your job could depend on it.
- In the U.S., companies with over 50 employees must comply with FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) for personal or dependent medical leave. Misusing FMLA leave can lead to immediate termination.
- Faking sick isn’t ideal, as it can cause unnecessary stress from lying. If you’re struggling at work, talk to your boss—they might help you find a solution.
- Taking a day off affects your coworkers. Think carefully before adding to their workload or leaving anyone in a tough spot.
