HRMorning.com » The funny side of HR: 9 worst excuses for being late

The funny side of HR: 9 worst excuses for being late

May 1, 2008 by Jim Giuliano
Posted in: Behavior, Communication, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Managers

Saying you “got stuck in traffic” is s-o-o-o-o 1990s. We have nine better excuses that, if nothing else, will make the boss laugh.

Courtesy of careerbuilder.com, actual excuses given by the tardy (with equally silly commentary given by us):

1. “I got lost in the fog when I was rowing to work.”
(Presumably employed in London or on the HMS Bounty.)

2. “I wasn’t thinking and accidentally went to my old job.”
(Try the same thing tomorrow and stay there.)

3. “Someone stole my daffodils.”
(Now, that’s something all of us can relate to.)

4. “My ex-husband stole my car and I couldn’t drive to work.”
(So, if he has a car, why couldn’t he give you a lift?)

5. “My route to work was shut down by the presidential motorcade.”
(But, uh, the president isn’t in town.)

6. “I was indicted for securities fraud this morning.”
(Sorry, that one’s taken by Martha Stewart.)

7. “The line was too long at Starbucks.”
(We hope you picked up a job app while you were there.)

8. “I was trying to get my gun back from the police.”
(You just can never find a cop when you need one.)

9. “I didn’t have money for gas because all the pawn shops were closed.”
(We can see this being an ongoing problem, what with your now not owning a wristwatch.)

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13 Responses to “The funny side of HR: 9 worst excuses for being late”

  1. Denise DiMeglio Says:

    Another absence excuse:

    I had an employee call in that he would be late…he locked himself in the garage.

  2. Mike Howard Says:

    The elevator to the fifth floor is slow. By a half hour. Every morning.

  3. Nancy Neale Says:

    I had to take my pot bellied pig to the “sty-chiatrist” - don’t laugh, I actually got told that!

  4. Judy Korbus Says:

    I couldn’t find my hair brush.

  5. Maria Ramirez Says:

    I couldn’t get out because a huge tree trunk was blocking the driveway.

  6. Melissa Says:

    I asked one of my employees once why he was late and he said, “I had to stop and get cigarettes.” I told him he got a pass for honesty but next time he needed to come up with something better.

  7. Yolanda Says:

    I thought that it was Saturday.

  8. j ober Says:

    I was getting into my car and noticed that I had left the sunroof open overnight, this caused moisture to build up within the car, upon driving to work, the rush of air into the vehicle caused and atmospheric condition resulting in dense fog within the vehicle, causing me to return home…. This was a real excuse

  9. Trent Says:

    When asked why she was late an employee stated she didn’t have any clean underwear. I must of had a look of disbelief on my face because she quickly followed up with, “I am wearing a pair of my husband’s!”

  10. Terri Says:

    I actually had an employee tell me he was late because he got fried the night before. (meaning drugs)!

    And I also had one tell me that she was late because her kids had scabies!

  11. Dave Herrera Says:

    “We have only been married two months” And my husband wouldn’t let me out of bed”..

  12. B Smith Says:

    “When I woke up this morning my bed was on fire….I’ll be about 20 minutes late.” or… “They found a dead body near my hose and the police will probably want to question me”

    I started a log, excluding names , of all the best excuses and I get them out to read them when I need a good laugh.

  13. Kacy Says:

    My cat is peeing blood.

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