These are the most believable excuses to give your boss when calling in sick

We've all had days when we just don't feel like going into work, either for legitimate and not-so-legit reasons.

Making that call to your boss on a Tuesday morning (because Tuesday is so much worse than Monday, let's be honest) can be a nerve-wracking experience. Even if you're really unwell, you just assume management won't believe you anyway. And if you're faking it, well, then you have to really dig deep to bring out your inner Meryl Streep to put on a convincing performance. Now, new research has pinpointed the most credible reasons to give when calling in sick - as selected by managers and bosses themselves. AXA PPP asked 1,000 senior business leaders to name what they considered a good enough excuse for a person to be absent from work. The flu was the top of the list - but the common cold featured way lower down the list, so keep that in mind next time you use the sniffles to bunk off. Back pain, accidental injury, and stress were also justified as legit reasons to take time off. Worryingly for mental health activists, depression and anxiety were ranked low down in the list of believable reasons to need time off work. Indeed, the survey found that about half of the workforce said they would be reluctant to tell their line manager they were calling in sick because of stress, anxiety or depression. Scarily, about 8% of bosses wouldn't believe any excuse for not coming in - so just be thankful you don't work for those people! The top 10 reasons to call in sick, according to bosses: 1. Flu 2. Back pain 3. Injury caused by accident 4. Stress 5. Elective surgery 6. Depression 7. Anxiety 8. Common cold 9. Migraine 10. None of the above