Taking off: Nearly two thirds of CEOs admit to faking sick days, new survey finds

Have you ever taken a sick day from work when you weren't actually ill?

A recent survey of American workers shows that you aren't alone. Data from answering service Moneypenny revealed that a whopping half of Americans have faked an illness to take the day off from work. 

While faking sick days may be an unsurprising habit for employees, the survey found that there's one company member in particular who is most likely to fake a sick day: the CEO. 

"Intriguingly, when we break down the data by seniority level, it's actually owners and CEOs who are most likely to take an unneeded sick day, with almost two thirds (64%) admitting to having done so in their current role," the report shared. "Who'd have thought the boss would need to lie?"

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In most cases, though, the respondents revealed that the reason they faked a sick day was to take care of family matters, like taking their child to the doctor. While 23% of Americans have used this excuse, the survey found that women are likelier than men to skip work to attend an appointment. 

Eric Schurke, CEO of Moneypenny North America, notes that it's important for employers to remember that they will probably run into a time where they need to take time off and need to be understanding when their employees need it, too.

"This research shows that most of the time it's not due to wanting just an 'extra day off' but instead due to things like appointments or family occasions," Schurke says. "These aren't just issues that specifically employees deal with — they're inclusive, and managers will likely at some point need time off for these things, too."

As the CEO of a company with over 1,200 employees between the U.S. and the U.K., Schurke notes that it's important to foster an environment where employees feel as though they don't need to hide why they need time off.  

"We do believe 'honesty is the best policy' and that you should try and be as honest with your employer as possible," Schurke says. " Even if it's just telling them that you're taking a sick day due to 'family issues,' rather than faking illness." 

With more Americans working remotely now than ever before, employees are less likely to use their sick days: the report found that 48% of employees are using less sick time due to work-from-home arrangements. Schurke was surprised by the fact that many people admit to faking sick days when most remote environments are very flexible. 

"With the changing working world, Americans having more flexible working options than ever before," Schurke says. "Companies need to foster an open and honest dialogue with their staff so that an employee can talk to their line manager about needing time off for a family occasion or appointment, without feeling the need to fake an illness."

Overall, work-life balance should be a priority for employers — and Schurke suggests analyzing policies that could be implemented to better promote it. 

"We do understand that it can be frustrating for businesses to feel like your employees are taking days off because they simply want a day off," he says. "But if they feel like that is the case, it may be worthwhile to look at what they're doing to ensure positive employee well-being, such as holiday entitlement and promoting work-life balance."