Excerpted from New Mexico Employment Law Letter, written by attorneys at the law firm Tinnin Law Firm, A Professional Corporation http://www.HRhero.com/nmemp.shtml?HLe

We all know that workers occasionally call in sick on days they feel just fine, but just how often do they fake a sick day? And are they doing it just because they're sick of work?

A survey by the Hudson Division of Hudson Highland Group, Inc., a staffing and outsourcing provider, based on a national poll of 2,202 U.S. workers by Rasmussen Reports, LLC, provides some interesting answers.

Almost One-third Fake Illness

The survey revealed that 30 percent of all U.S. workers have called in sick when they weren't. About half (49%)   of those who play hooky do so to get some rest and relaxation, but 22 percent reported doing so to care for a sick family member.

Most of the guilty (77%) said they fake being sick only on rare occasions, but six percent do it more than three  times per year.

In analyzing differences between the sexes, the survey found that women (31%) played hooky slightly more often  than men (29%) but more frequently did so to take care of a sick family member (26%) than men did (19%).

Similarly expected differences were reported by age.  Workers ages 18 to 39 were more likely to play hooky (37%) than those ages 40 to 49 (24%), and the workers in their 40s were more likely to be caring for a sick relative (30%) than their younger counterparts (24%).

Interestingly, 41 percent of all workers who played hooky thought their bosses knew they weren't actually sick. Men (44%) and workers ages 18 to 39 (43%) were more likely to believe their bosses knew what was really going on than women (37%) and workers ages 40 to 49 (33%).

On a bright note, when asked how they rated their employers in providing personal days and support for personal time, 51 percent rated their employers as excellent, 25 percent good, 15 percent fair, and only eight percent poor.

Copyright 2005 M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC. This article is an excerpt from NEW MEXICO EMPLOYMENT LAW LETTER: http://www.HRhero.com/nmemp.shtml?HLe

NEW MEXICO EMPLOYMENT LAW LETTER is published to provide information of general interest and not to provide legal advice regarding any specific situation. Questions and inquiries directed to specific applications of the
information contained in the newsletter should be addressed to an attorney.