Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - Producers Busted Skipping Work!| Itty Bitty Bit

Episode Date: June 16, 2026

Our producers were at an event where someone told their boss they were dealing with an emergency… then ended up on a live news stream. When skipping work goes very wrong!   Join the Itty Bitty Hitty Committee HERE!Instagram:  @THEHITSBREAKFASTFacebook: The Hits Breakfast with Jono, Ben & MeganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened? We were sitting there yesterday and this guy comes and sits at our table and he looks at, he looked a bit sheepish and he was like, oh, I've kind of, I've knocked off work for a couple hours to come here. I've told him I've had to go home for an emergency and he's sitting at the table with us trying to like hide himself. There is probably every media organisation in New Zealand and different corners of the pub. Not the great place to watch it really for that.

No. And then he pulls up his phone about like maybe 30 minutes into the game and he goes on stuff and there's a live stream of stuff and the camera is focused on him. Is he the main character in the live stream? Poor guy. Could he not see the camera? There were cameras everywhere

and I think he was just hoping this isn't going to go anywhere that my boss is going to look at. Then the client that he was, I think he's in the construction game, the client comes into the bar that he's supposed to be working for and he sees him and he goes,

oh, hey Greg, hey mate. This is a... That could look on anywhere. Kicking the footballs from start to finish. And a classic football hat trick this morning in the Herald front page of the sports section. He's in the photo.

It's almost like they knew. He got some good media coverage, too. Geez, a guy who didn't want to be caught on camera. That's a dream for our radio show to get that most media coverage, isn't it? The Herald. We can't get staff, we can't get the Herald, you know? He must have been really, like, enthusiastic, though.

He was a photogenic football lover. I think he looked like, you know, like wind-swept hair. Yeah. I know, but surely the employer, knew that when an emergency came up at the same time the all-wise were kicking off. You're like, at what a clock? And I'll be back into two hours later.

For exactly 90 minutes. Yeah, that's all sorted down. So we wanted to know what I'm 100 of the hits, 4487. When have you been busted? Maybe skip and work, skip in school, what happens to all of us? I said him had to Rod Stewart the other day over the weekend. He was meant to perform for 30,000 people

and he got larangiaritis, but he said, I can't do the concert, no laryngitis. Pretty much last minute at the concert. And then he flew. a private jet to the football to watch his beloved Scotland team play in the World Cup was on camera there. He caught on multiple streams. Yeah, and everyone was like, hey, I thought you were sick, mate.

I thought you meant to be at work. He was like, he was at the Football World Cup. Yeah, Rod, you could have done that a little bit more. Could he put a moustache on or something? He did go for laryngitis. You know, he chose one that he could still, you know. Couldn't perform, yeah, I guess you're right. But you still can be active.

Well, you should really be resting. And definitely shouldn't be screaming. Scotland. Maybe he could have gone COVID because you can't have COVID now and be out in the community, can't you? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I just make something up there.

We've all forgotten the rules for that. Even Rod. Yeah. Football World Cup on at the moment. Little of people are getting busted, skipping out of work for the games. Well, it is sort of in the middle of the work day. A lot of the games, particularly the All-White's opener against Iran yesterday. And producers Troy and Grace went along there to the bar.

And they were sitting with another guy who was, you know, oh, I've done. just had to sneak out of work. I've told them there's an emergency at home. Unfortunately, the bar they were at, had tracked it a lot of media, and they were live streaming on their particular websites. Then his client came in and saw him there. And then now he's featuring in the New Zealand Herald in a big photo, too, on the paper. So we wanted to know when you were busted, skipping work. We got a text story. Someone's saying, I was a teacher. Caught and sick for parent-teacher interviews to go out with my boyfriend, because I was a

I was feeling maybe there was something special, came back to school the next day with an engagement ring, and the principal was like, hang on, were you sick? How did that? That timeline didn't quite work. One of the symptoms. He proposed when we went to bed. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. One of the symptoms of COVID is getting an engagement ring. Richard with us on 0800. The hits. Happy New Year, Rich. Happy New Year. How are you guys going? We're doing well. Now I've read your story. I read your story on the text, and this is a wild play from you, Richard, but we'll hand it over to you.

Okay, well, I like going to Thailand just to go shopping and just to chill out. It's my sort of place to go. And I took the wife over there probably about six, eight years ago, and I like to go back all the time. So I went, I wanted to go one year, and I usually go work out of Auckland to Christchurch and to need in different places. So I said I was going to Christchurch, and I went to Thailand instead for the week. What? My daughter, my daughter calls me in the morning. She calls usually about seven, third, eight o'clock to say good morning, dad, and stuff.

that and my phone was off because I was on the plane and it goes to you know the like telecom how they do those translations of your phones out of service you're in a different country or something like that and then the wife rang up and goes you're not in New Zealand day and I'm like yes I am I'm down in Christchurch it's no you went and because the delay the time delay in the phone so every time you talk it's delayed a couple of seconds yeah they're delay is killing me right now yes exactly exactly so I got sprang and then yeah the whole trip was It was a good trip, but it wasn't a good trip.

It wasn't a trip. We'll do it again. Did she not want to go, or did you just not ask? She doesn't like Thailand because, you know, the force of what Thailand is. And I just like going to show her. Because I work night shift and I work quite long hours. And I just want to get away. And I just like chilling there because it's cheap enough in this nice place.

And, yeah, she didn't want to come. And, yeah, sweet, here's my time. Well, that is a big play from you saying you're in Christchurch for the week. Yeah. Because I've been going to Christchurch backers and forwards that whole year for work, so it was a good excuse. Yeah, well, it turns out it wasn't. I get annoyed when my husband wants to go play golf with the boys, and you're like... In Thailand for a week.

Asian country, mate. Exactly. I can't even find my passport now. Oh, it's been him. Exactly. I've got a loser. I've lost it. He'd get a new one.

We've got on you, Richard. Thank you for sharing. Really appreciate it. Someone said on the text, say, conjunctivitis, was, well, was, working so I took a couple of days off decided to go out for drinks and who should walk in boss.