Sick leave forecast to soar in Shanghai when World Cup gets under way

An installation featuring a giant representation of the 2014 World Cup stands at a junction in Shanghai's Xujiahui shopping area. The World Cup football tournament begins on June 12. — Wang Rongjiang

As the 2014 FIFA World Cup approaches, the thoughts of many Shanghai football fans turn to playing hooky from work.

Some of the games, to be held in Brazil from June 12-July 13, will air live in Shanghai as dawn is breaking. Bad time for day shift workers.

What to do? Asking the boss for leave is a bit iffy. Office and factory managers aren't easily hoodwinked by stories of sick aunts when the World Cup is on.

Many diehard football fans prefer to play sick so they can stay home and watch the games. You need a doctor's note saying you are sick, but at least your employer can't say no. What you have to hope is the boss doesn't check with the hospital and find your note a fake.

One worker found out the hard way that some employers do check. A worker surnamed Zhang used a fake sick note to justify a week of travel abroad, Shandong Workers' Daily reported earlier. When he returned to work, he was fired. The company had checked with the hospital. The case went to local arbitration and the dismissal was upheld.

"Cheating could destroy the trust between you and your boss,said Vera Zhou, 34, who works for a German company in Shanghai.

Authenticity guaranteed

Still, many workers are willing to run the risk, and online businesses know a good thing when they see it.

Some online shops sell sick leave certificates for anything from a one-day fever to a full-blown pregnancy.

One store named Shanghai Sick Notes told Shanghai Daily it sells "authentic" sick certificates provided by top hospitals for 50 yuan (US$8) or more, depending on the length of the time-off required. It's not just a racket for football fans. People commonly fake sick leave to extend vacations or just to take a break from a job they don't like.

"It's hard to ask a company for a leave of absence," Shanghai Sick Notes said on its website. "If you want to make your holiday longer, or if you just don't want to go to work, you can ask us for help."

A shopkeeper with the website, who declined to give her name, told Shanghai Daily: "Besides sick notes, we can also give you certificates of registration, medical records and even surgery records if you need them."