6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Dan: Hello, I'm Dan…
Alice: And I'm Alice.
Dan: And this is 6 Minute English! And today we're talking about sickies. To
pull a sickie means to pretend that you're ill so that you don't have to
go to work. Britain apparently has the highest number of false sick days
in Europe – according to new research one in three of us has admitted
to pulling a sickie at some point, so there are a lot of us pretending that
we're ill. Are you one of them Alice? Have you ever been tempted to
pull a sickie?
Alice: Of course not. How you could you even hint that I might.
Dan: Well, Alice, you are such an honest person. Hm, but we have this
week's question for you. As I say British workers pull more sickies than
any other country in Europe. But which European country, Alice, pulls
the fewest sickies? Is it:
a) Latvia
b) Austria
c) Denmark
Alice: I would guess, Denmark. But only because I think they might have the
largest number of holidays so that they would not need to pull sickies
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Dan: Aha, logic! OK.
Alice: I don't really know.
Dan: Well, we will see if you are right at the end of the programme.
Now, according the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, people
not showing up to work costs the British economy around £32 billion a
year. So there's a serious impact from people skipping work.
Alice: Skipping work. To skip something here means to not do it. So if you
skip class, for example, it means you don't go to class; and if people
are skipping work it means that they're not going to work.
Dan: Another word for skipping work is skiving.
Alice: Skiving – This is a British English term for avoiding work. And a person
who does a lot of skiving is a skiver.
Dan: So let's listen now to some people in Britain talking about whether they
think it's acceptable to skip work. What do these people think about
skiving?
I think it's acceptable, but not too often. What can I say? It happens to everybody, you
know, big night. I just think it's part of everyday life.
If it's for another job interview and you're unhappy where you are, go for it! But I think
taking one is OK, but if they do it again and again and again, then I think they need to
readdress that.
Dan: So the man there said he thought it was acceptable to skip work, but
not too often – it's a part of everyday life.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Alice: And the woman said that if people are skiving again and again and
again, then they should readdress that. They should examine it or
discuss it again. But she also said if you're unhappy where you are, you
should go for it! Go for it! means 'do it!', so she's encouraging people
to take time off work if they're unhappy where they are.
Dan: Being unhappy at work is one of the main reasons people pull sickies
and pretend they are ill. They might be feeling bored or depressed at
work, or they're applying for another job, or taking a holiday, or they're
hungover.
Alice: Mmm, I'm sure there are quite a few people who were suddenly 'ill'
during the World Cup too.
Dan: Yeah I'm sure there were! PricewaterhouseCoopers says that the best
way to avoid people skiving off work is to try to engage them in their
job, so that they want to come to work. Companies should try to build
loyalty from their workers by treating them well. Some companies even
offer 'duvet days'. Have you heard of these Alice?
Alice: I have; actually, I had a job once that had duvet days built in. A duvet
is the soft covering on a bed that you can sleep under, it keeps you
warm and cosy. So I guess 'duvet days' are days when you can stay
under your duvet; when you can stay in bed.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Dan: Yes. A duvet day is a day when you can tell your office that you're not
coming into work, but you don't need to pretend that you're ill. As long
as you tell them, they're happy for you to take a day off. Let's listen to
one British worker talking about how his company started using duvet
days. How many duvet days are people at his company allowed each
year?
What we employed was a duvet day. So instead of someone saying 'I'm sick and I'm lying,'
we allowed people to have four duvet days a year where they could quite happily call in
with 24 hours' notice and say 'do you know what, Monday morning, or Friday morning,
I'm going to be late and come in at lunchtime.
Dan: So his company allows people to take four 'duvet days' each year, if
they don't feel like coming into work, but they don't have to lie and
pretend that they're ill.
Alice: Very clever. I like the idea of a duvet day.
Dan: I really like the idea of a duvet day! OK Alice, we're back to today's
question. I asked you at the beginning of the programme which
European country pulls the fewest sickies?
Alice: And I said Denmark.
Dan: Yes, your logic was correct, Alice. Denmark takes the fewest sickies or
pulls the fewest sickies each year. So they're either the most honest
workers in Europe, or they are the best ones at lying to people who are
giving surveys. I'm not really sure.
So, finally Alice, could you please remind us of some of the vocabulary
we've heard in today's programme?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Alice: Sure, we had:
To pull a sickie
To skip work
To skive
Skiver
Readdress
Go for it!
Duvet
Duvet day
Dan: Thanks Alice. That's it for today, but what are the most imaginative
excuses for sickies you've ever heard? Let us know in English on the
BBC Learning English Facebook page or by email a
See you next time!
Both: Bye!
