The SuperCheats Top 10 Launch Day Excuses

02. Rapid Onset Illness / Short Illnesses

As long as you have not used this excuse too recently, it is generally okay to use a rapid-onset sickness as an excuse. This is especially useful when a new game launch sneaks up on you or you were not aware that the game was launching this week.

Just remember to keep your reason simple, and NEVER go into detail if you can help it, because that never sounds legit. Liars - especially bad ones - ALWAYS try to explain too much.

You want to choose an illness that is icky - likely to gross-out HR - that will quickly resolve - but is the sort that makes them not want you at the office.

According to our HR sources, for women it is often a migraine that keeps them home - and according to HR an employee with a throbbing head belongs in a dark room in bed, not a brightly-lit noisy office where they are just going to be miserable.

For men one of the best to use is a stomach bug believe it or not. Especially one that has you spending all your time on the throne. That's right, the D-word is a total victory for most HRs, who would rather have you using the toilet at home.

Caption: The sort of health concern we are talking about here happens fast - but it is not a disease! It can be caused by a number of organisms - fungus (as is the case in the world of Last of Us depicted above), virus, or even bacteria. It can be environmental, foodborne, or passed from person-to-person. Either way if you work in an office, any possibility of infecting others is justification for staying home, and usually that means a paid sick day...

The good thing about these short-term rapid-onset illnesses is that they do go away quickly. So you will have no trouble supporting the idea that you had one or two down-days but you are good-to-go now!

If you are using either one of these though, you have to be very careful NOT to build into your excuse any circumstances whatsoever that even remotely hint to a possibility that you might be suffering from an illness given to you by your best mate Bacchus - because mates you stray into that neighborhood and you are well and truly kaput!

“The one thing that will not fly,” our HR sources agree, “is calling in with a hangover.

One HR Manager explained it like this: “You do that, it's a strike against you. Do it again and you are outta here!”

The following are good and easily accepted for this type: Stomach Bug, Diarrhea, High Fever, Migraine.

Remember to keep it simple, let them know you are miserable, and you are good to game!

The next day be sure to bring props to work with you - Gatorade for re-hydration and electrolytes, a bottle of Tylenol or Advil, a box of Imodium with some of the pills used - basically supportive props that you can leave on your desk, that sort of thing.