Best Excuses for Missing Work
Posted in Office Etiquette
It's a day like no other. You wake up with your adorable toddler sleeping soundly between you and your husband. You open the curtain and the sun greets you with the sunniest smile. The day is so beautiful you decide to miss work. So you call your office and say you're not feeling well, but you're 100% sure your employer doesn't buy it. Read on to know some of the smart and ridiculous excuses for missing work.
Excuses for missing work
The recent CareerBuilder.com survey on absenteeism indicates that about 33% of employees have played hooky from work at least once a year, calling in sick when in fact they were perfectly well. About 9% of them admitted that they called in sick because they didn't want to attend a meeting, to avoid the temper of their boss, or buy some extra time to finish projects that were already due.
Other employees skipped work because they needed to recharge and relax (30%), go to their doctors (27%), catch up on much needed sleep (22%), run personal errands (14%), catch up on household chores (11%), or spend quality time with family (11%). A huge 34% said they simply didn't like to go to work that day.
Smart excuses
"I've earned it" is one smart excuse. No one can question a good performance. Come to work early and finish your tasks on schedule and then negotiate a leave in advance.
According to Andrea Nierenberg, The Nierenberg Group president, "Really work when you're there, so you'll be able to feel good about taking time off." A doctor's appointment is also a legitimate excuse for missing work. Make the appointment early in the morning or late in the afternoon, say around 3 pm.
If your job requires that you meet and court clients, then playing golf with a potential client is a good excuse. Just make sure that you meet with the client, don't just call in and say you did. Having cramps is also a smart excuse for missing work.
According to Jennifer Newman, Lippe Taylor Public Relations vice president, "It's such an embarrassing topic that nobody will ever challenge it...It's one of those things that men honestly have no clue about, and women can sympathize with."
Ridiculous excuses
All of us have our share of ridiculous excuses for missing work, some can be very common while others can be out-of-this-world excuses.
Employers provided some outrageous real-life examples in the CareerBuilder.com survey: an employee who hit a turkey while riding a bike, one who donated too much blood, an employee who was kicked by a deer, and an employee who swallowed too much mouthwash.
There's also this employee who was told by a psychic to stay at home and an employee who had nothing to wear to work because his wife just burned his clothes. Another ridiculous excuse is that of an employee who called in to say he suffered from a heart attack early in the morning, but he was feeling good now.
Overall, playing hooky won't win you fans at work. When you skip work, someone else will have to do your laundry just to make it to the deadlines. It won't also help your career.
