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"It's become a lot more acceptable. If you tell your friends, 'Oh I've just pulled a sickie,' people laugh about it."

“We had people from all over the world as our witnesses and I think he was afraid of saying the names wrong. On the day he pulled a sickie and sent his deputy.”

Released on what some dub "National Sickie Day", the research claimed concerns about work culture, colleagues and workloads were to blame.

"I've missed my children growing up, birthdays, special occasions - so I feel justified pulling a sickie now and again."

"People want to be seen to be strong, so sometimes the easiest thing to do is to throw a sickie when it gets too much."