Excuses for Tardiness or a Day Off

According to CareerBuilders, more than 27 percent of hiring managers say they are skeptical of employees' excuses for showing up late. It turns out their doubt is warranted: 24 percent of all employees decide to make up a fake excuse rather than tell the truth.Fortunately for late arrivers, 43 percent of hiring managers won't count tardiness against you as long as you meet deadlines and turn in good work.


If you're sitting in a traffic jam watching the minutes tick away and you've decided honesty isn't the best policy for you, think of a believable and acceptable reason you're walking in late.

After all, if you were a hiring manager who heard any of these 10 real-life excuses for being late, you'd be suspicious, too.

1. While rowing across the river to work, I got lost in the fog.

2. Someone stole all my daffodils.

3. I had to go audition for American Idol.

4. My ex-husband stole my car so I couldn't drive to work.

5. My route to work was shut down by a Presidential motorcade.

6. I have transient amnesia and couldn't remember my job.

7. I was indicted for securities fraud this morning.

8. The line was too long at Starbucks.

9. I was trying to get my gun back from the police.

10. I didn't have money for gas because all of the pawn shops were closed.


USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), published these excuses in July, 2003 .


Everyone's had mornings when what can go wrong does. In a survey by Accountemps, a temporary staffing service for accounting, finance, and bookkeeping professionals, executives revealed the i most-unusual and original explanations they have heard from tardy employees--everything from pet-related problems to long lines at the coffee shop. Here is a sampling of their excuses:

* "The dog was asleep behind the car and I couldn't back out of the driveway."

* "A helicopter landed in the street and I couldn't get around it."

* "My garage door was frozen shut."

* "My car keys fell into the toilet."

* "The line at Starbucks was out the door."


* "I forgot what day it was. I thought it was the weekend."

* "The wind was blowing against me."

* "My favorite actress just got married. I needed time alone."

* "My husband's pet spider died and I had to console him."

For about $25, you can buy excuse notes that appear to come from doctors or hospitals. Other options include a fake jury summons or an authentic-looking funeral service program complete with comforting poems and a list of pallbearers.

"Millions of Americans work dead-end jobs, and sometimes they just need a day off," said John Liddell, co-founder of the Internet-based company Vision Matters, which sells the notes as part of its Excused Absence Network. "People are going to lie anyway. How many people go visit their doctors every day when they're not sick because they just need a note?" I tried looking for this network but, was unable to connect due to "server" issues.

http://www.thefakedoctorsnote.com/
promises doctors notes and more for as little as $10.

Do I recommend lying to get a day off?
Hell no. There is always something that you forget to cover and it is found out by the wrong person.