The Way We Were

On Friday last week I was forced to work from home in order to deal with a domestic crisis that would otherwise have meant using a days holiday (all booked up for the year so a non runner), or pulling a sickie (again, I have used a few real sick days this year!).

Working From Home Can Be Stressful ......

So I was forced to take a day working from home. Now I say forced because I don't find it the easy option. There are several reasons for this.

1. I am honest and actually want to do a good days work if they are paying me for this.
2. I find it hard to concentrate without the bustle of an office around me.

The Lazy Man Of Europe

When I was a younger man Britain was described as a lazy, strike prone nation, whose workers were all taking a 'sickie', and the whole group of economic symptoms was often called by foreign observers and economists "The British Disease".

Famous Economists Offered Cures For The British Disease ...

In fact so inculcated were we with this view, that we even took to using the term ourselves. Mrs Thatcher even famously stated that "to cure the British disease with socialism was like trying to cure leukaemia with leeches."

Pulling A Sickie

"Pulling a sickie" is a colloquialism for faking an illness for a day off work ....

Pulling A Sickie Can Be Good For You

..... in some ways it may actually reflect a minor mental stress, and taking an illicit day off work serves to soothe the issue. However we live in a culture in which that simple and minor lapse isn't enough for some people.

Cunning Plans

If you can't 'pull a sickie', then you need a 'Cunning Plan B' ........So what better than a scheme to turn up late (or not at all), but still clock on early every day?

Impossible you say .... well your not a bunch of medical staff in Brazil, who created silicon 'fingers' with their finger prints on them, and got an office worker (who did turn up on time), to 'clock on' for them, by using the silicon finger prints to fool the time-clock scanner.

Silicon Fingers with Finger Prints

A++ for cunning plans, and also of immense interest to ATM criminals no doubt.