The art of throwing a sickie doesn't get the recognition (or the funding) it deserves. Even the straitlaced and well-attending would admit that it takes panache to get away with it on a regular basis. Bupa discovered that the most common excuses used by those phoning in sick were food poisoning and flu, though it also found that the majority of managers didn't believe them. Bupa felt that the situation might improve if people had to supply a doctor's note, but didn't address the possibility that multiple sickie-throwers might place an undue burden on an already stretched National Health Service.

LRB 8 February 2007 | PDF Download