As per the survey conducted by US-based human capital services provider Careerbuilder, 30 per cent of workers have called in sick when not actually ill in the past year.
The sick days, legitimate or otherwise, also become more frequent around the winter holidays, with nearly one-third of employers reporting more employees call in sick during the holiday season, the survey found.
At the same time, 29 per cent of employers have checked up on an employee to verify that the illness is legitimate, usually by requiring a doctor's note or calling the employee later in the day.
Some employers have had other employees call a suspected faker (18 per cent) or even gone so far as to drive by the employee