TORONTO (CP) - "I just got a new tattoo and need a few days to recover."

People never seem to run out of creative reasons for being out of the office, an Accountemps survey has found.

Executives were asked, "What are the most unusual reasons you have heard for why employees request time off?" The responses included the following:

- "I need time to find myself."

- "I need a day off because it'* supposed to snow."

- "My cat has hairballs."

- "I'm going to jail."

- "I need three weeks off to travel Europe. Starting tomorrow."

Personal hobbies are another popular reason for missing work:

- "I'm going to be in a kick-boxing contest."

- "My partner and I need to practice for the square-dancing contest in town today."

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the office staffing service. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 executives - including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments.

There are some explanations employees should use only if they're accompanied by a letter of resignation:

- "I'm taking a few days off to start my own business."

- "I'll be out this afternoon on job interviews."

- "I need a leave of absence to try another job. But if it doesn't work out, I'd like to come back."

"Employees often offer elaborate - and sometimes creative - explanations when asking for days off," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "But everyone needs personal time to recharge or to handle unexpected situations, and managers understand this."