Most of the "I'm-too-sick-to-work-today" lies were of the garden variety:

• 27 percent said they had a doctor's appointment;

• 27 percent said they just didn't feel like going;

• 26 percent said they needed to relax;

• 21 percent said they needed to catch up on sleep;

• 12 percent blamed bad weather.

Now, let's get to the good ones, supplied by managers to Harris pollsters.

• Employee claimed his grandmother poisoned him with ham.

• Employee was stuck under the bed.

• Employee broke his arm reaching to grab a falling sandwich.

• Employee said the universe was telling him to take a day off.

• Employee's wife found out he was cheating. He had to spend the day retrieving his belongings from the dumpster.

• Employee poked herself in the eye while combing her hair.

• Employee said his wife put all his underwear in the washer.

• Employee said the meal he cooked for a department potluck didn't turn out well.

• Employee was going to the beach because the doctor said she needed more vitamin D.

• Employee said her cat was stuck inside the dashboard of her car.

Most managers (66 percent) don't care enough to try to bust a lying employee; perhaps they have done the same themselves and can identify with the telling of a white lie now and again.

But other managers are less trusting, or empathetic. The survey found that 22 percent of managers have fired an employee for calling in sick with a fake excuse, up from last year's 18 percent. And, to keep an eye on questionable behavior, employers are going online. Of the 33 percent who did check up on an excuse, 32 percent did so by monitoring social media posts. Thirty-three percent of all employers have caught an employee lying about being sick by checking their social media accounts, and of those, 26 percent have fired the employee.