People claiming to be sick for an extra long weekend cost businesses across the Murray and Riverina area nearly $50,000 annually, according to the NSW Business Chamber’s regional manager Ben Foley.

He says 5 per cent of the 152,000 workers in the Murray Riverina region take sick days ahead of long weekends.

“Taking a sick day when you don’t need one does you no favours,” Mr Foley said.

“Your job still has to be done if you’re not there, so if you work for a small business that doesn’t have a pool of casual workers to pick up your slack, it could fall to your boss to do your work for you.”

HAVE YOUR SAY: Is it okay to take sick day if you are not sick? Comment below.

In this online era it was easy for employers to get the word out about a lazy worker.

“The risk of being caught out is undoubtedly greater these days, employers have the capability to catch you red-handed if they suspect you’re not putting in.”

Business manager for Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce Kerryn Arnold warned taking sickies when they weren’t needed could backfire when you were actually sick.

Bogus sickies cost business money and that, essentially, made them a form of fraud.