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Another great excuse for being late to work
- August 24th, 2009
- 9 Comments
One of my Saturday morning rituals is catching up on my reality TV filled DVR and this Saturday was no different. I was especially excited because the new season of Bravo’s Flipping Out — about obsessive-compulsive, junk-food eating house flipper Jeff Lewis and the people who work for him — debuted this week.
This season, Jeff has taken hired Trace the intern and I can’t wait to see more of him. Not only did he shrug off the need to eat lunch upon arriving to work (“I ate yesterday”), but he also gave one of the best excuses reasons for being late I’ve ever heard. (And you know we love them!)
When Jeff questioned Trace about his tardiness, Trace explained about his morning ritual: He must play a game of checkers on his mobile device, and win, before he gets out of bed every morning. That morning, he had to play the game three times before winning, thus delaying his arrival to work. Jeff’s reaction? He wasn’t incredulous or mocking, but rather pleased at the intern’s frankness and sympathetic to the intern’s idiosyncrasies.
The lesson: Next time you need an excuse reason for being late to work, be truthful … or at least play into your boss’s personality.
Tell us, what’s the best one you’ve ever used or heard?
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I live on a boat and someone stole the gangplank.
I woke up in another city after I went out and got drunk last night, I'll be late or I won't show up for work today!
I can't say much about reasons for being late for work because, at my first job, the manager gave a pep talk at the beginning of the shift one day. As a person was coming in about 5 minutes late, the manager noticed. He then said that being late was a bad thing. His "mantra," he said, is "if you're early, you're on time. if you're on time, you're late. if you're late, you're fired." I took that statement to heart and have been late for work only 3 times and those were for legitimate reasons (car wreck on interstate twice and flat tire once).
I had a headache and I accidently took 3 benadryl instead of tylenol.
My top 10 favorite excuses for being late to work from my clients:
1) I was chillin'.
2) I couldn't find a band-aid after cutting myself.
3) I thought there was a 1 hour grace period.
4) My wife wouldn't let me out of bed.
5) It was raining.
6) I accidentally locked myself IN my house.
7) I was waiting for the cable guy.
8) My interview for another job ran late.
9) My favorite episode of "Will and Grace" was on.
10)My toe nails weren't dry from my pedicure.
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- No Cussing At Work: What the [Bleep]? (1,189)
- A few things you should know about minimum wage (1,161)
- Is there a reason you’re late … or is it just an excuse? (1,017)
- Co-workers are strange. Very, very strange. (639)
- Do Accents Make Workers Seem Less Credible? (617)
- One person’s scent is another person’s headache (604)
- Don’t Say That To Your Boss; Say This Instead (560)
- The future’s 15 most wanted workers (558)
- Job seekers most common (and unusual) interview mistakes (444)
- Why whiners don’t win at work (443)
- Where to find a job in a stalling market (431)
- Where Will The Jobs Be This Decade? (366)
- 5 jobs that pay you to play on Facebook (359)
- Today’s Most Dangerous Jobs (356)
- Best and worst states for job seekers (352)
- 25 best-paying jobs for women (344)
- Credit checks on the job hunt: The debate continues (341)
- 8 things that can kill your job chances (335)
- Star Wars or Star Trek? Questions you just might hear in the interview (301)
- Five People to Cozy Up to On The Job (293)
- Do you know how to deal with a work spouse?
- Companies hiring this week
- Is “To whom it may concern” the kiss of death?
- Could your cube mate be your soul mate too?
- 22 companies hiring in large volume
- The find-a-job plan for college seniors
- Job-market recovery off to a great start in 2012
- The surefire way to ace your job interview, from Bravo’s ‘The Headhuntress’
- America at age 24: An education and employment snapshot
- 8 things that can kill your job chances
- 3 Facebook Timeline tips for job seekers
- 10 weird excuses workers use when late to work
- The best careers for your zodiac sign
- 8 of the weirdest work stories from 2011
- How to define your personal brand
- Job seekers most common (and unusual) interview mistakes
- 7 tips for improving email etiquette
- 6 ways the job search has changed post-recession
- 50 jobs that pay $50,000
- 8 job-related smartphone apps
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[...] Another great excuse for being late to work One of my Saturday morning rituals is catching up on… [...]
[...] Another great excuse for being late to work One of my Saturday morning rituals is catching up on… [...]
[...] Another great excuse for being late to work One of my Saturday morning rituals is catching up on… [...]
[...] Another great excuse for being late to work One of my Saturday morning rituals is catching up on… [...]