How you can score a five-day long weekend in one state

The timing of the death of Queen Elizabeth II has led to a surprising perk for many workers in one state.

Many people in Western Australia might be looking to book an extra day of annual leave or chuck a sickie next week to give themselves a five-day weekend.

WA is due to mark the Queen’s Birthday public holiday on Monday, September 26.

With the one-off national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II falling on Thursday, September 22, it means people will be back at work on the Friday before a three-day weekend.

Many people are now likely to take advantage of the timing by booking September 23 as annual leave or taking it as a sick day.

That would give people a massive five-day long weekend.

The national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II will be held on September 22. Picture: Chris Jackson / Getty Images

It was announced earlier this year that an app called Sicky allowed people to get assessed over video by a pharmacist.

If they are deemed unfit for work, they will be sent a medical certificate for $19.95 which is cheaper than most GPs.

Research from 2018 revealed almost half of Australians taking sick leave were actually chucking a sickie.

Seeing family, taking a long weekend, visiting friends and recovering from a hangover were among the top reasons given in a survey of 500 workers by software company TSheets.

It found only 52 per cent of workers taking sick leave were genuinely ill and 40 per cent chucked a sickie.

Other reasons for taking a sickie included to save up annual leave, to go for a job interview, to enjoy the nice weather or a day at the beach, to attend a sporting event and to work for someone else.