We've all done it, haven't we? We've all rung into work claiming to be sick when in fact we just want a day or two on the couch.
Sometimes you test your luck even further and stretch it out to a week. But perhaps no one has quite managed to avoid going to work for TWENTY WHOLE YEARS.
Not bad work if you can get it.
Well, as it turns out, Italian teacher Cinzia Paolina De Lio can't get the work any more as she has finally been fired by her school for her two decade long dedication to simply not turning up.
De Lio was supposed to be teaching literature and philosophy at a secondary school near Venice. However, she instead used sick leave, holiday entitlement and permits to attend conferences so her time in the classroom remained non-existent.
For her efforts, De Lio had been named 'Italy's Worst Employee' and, on one of the rare days she did turn up, her efforts at teaching were apparently deserving of such an accolade.
As reported by The Times, school inspectors described De Lio's lessons as "confused", which isn't surprising, given that the teacher was probably confused as to what she was doing at work in the first place and we imagine her students were wondering who she was.
To make matters worse for the teacher, her students also went on strike when she began using her cell phone to make calls and send text messages during exams. In addition to this, De Lio handed out marks that had absolutely zero correlation to the standard of work that had been produced.
Oh, and the cherry on top? De Lio had to borrow her students textbooks because she would forget her own.
This collection of chaotic moments led to her eventual dismissal - although, remarkably, De Lio did in fact manage to regain her job after appealing the decision in court.
Not that her reinstatement lasted long, however. When the court realized she had only been present in her classrooms for four years out of 24, she was soon dismissed again. This time for good in a decision that was further backed by Italy's Supreme Court.
The decision was met with relief by some when the news hit the national papers in Italy, with one Twitter user taking to the social media platform to exclaim: "Dear Minister Valditara, Professor Cinzia Paolina De Lio is just the tip of the iceberg. Open a survey on teacher absenteeism, especially on the occasion of some holidays transformed into long weekends. He will discover some good things about the world of education!"
When asked to comment on her dismissal, De Lio gave a suitable response, telling Repubblica [translated]: "Sorry, but now I'm at the beach. I will reconstruct the truth of the facts of this absolutely unique and surreal story".
We hope the 56-year-old enjoys her vacation. She's definitely... uh, earned it?