Australian workplaces increasingly banning sickies through text and email

Australian workplaces are increasingly stamping out the practice of using SMS or email to call in sick, with young people's penchant for tech-based sickies behind the drive.

Many companies are now asking employees to phone in unless they are too sick to do so, a leading recruitment agency told the Herald Sun.

"It is more professional to telephone your boss so you can talk to them about your condition and expected return," Tim James, director of Hays in Victoria, said.

Melbourne hairdressing salon The Blowout Bar was one such business that has cut off SMS sickies, with owner Simone Van Haltren a phone call is more believable and holds her staff "more accountable".

"My staff are aged 20-25 and that age group, all they do is text," she told the Herald Sun.

"I find it really frustrating."

Ms Haltren said she had heard of staff at other salons throwing sickies and getting caught out on social media such as Facebook.

The Fair Work Commission has warned you could get fired if caught living it up on social media while on a sickie, with a number of employees having social media posts used against them in unfair dismissal cases.