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I recently made this personal discovery of the word truancy. It means:

the action of staying away from school without good reason

I am wondering if there's a parallel to this word for workplace or professional settings.

All I can think of is absenteeism, but it doesn't capture the essence of truancy.

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thefreedictionary.com/truancy –  Kris Oct 24 '13 at 7:41
You can just use truancy. It means being absent without permission, nothing to do with school. School is just the most common setting for the word. –  Dan Hanly Oct 24 '13 at 7:45

2 Answers 2

Playing hooky is a common phrase used in the US, primarily, but not exclusively, relating to school

(informal (mainly US & Canadian & New Zealand) truancy, usually from school (esp in the phrase play hooky)

This is frequently used to describe absence in the workplace, and it has a naughty, childish connotation.

When the unauthorized absence is organized among several workers, it may be called a sick-out. Among uniformed services, such as police or firefighters, it is sometimes called the blue flu.

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The military term AWOL (Absent without leave) is recognized in non-military context.

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