Let’s face it, not matter how hard some people try they will always be late to work. In fact, a new poll finds that 25% of workers say they’re late at least once a month, while 12% say they’re late at least once a week.
The most common excuses for being late include traffic (51%), oversleeping (31%) and bad weather (28%), but there are always some people who like to get creative when explaining the reason for their tardiness. CareerBuilder talked to over 1,000 human resource workers and 800 workers to find out the craziest excuses ever offered for being late, and there’s no doubt many wouldn’t fly in an office.
Most outrageous excuses for being late include:
- It's too cold to work.
- I had morning sickness (it was a man).
- My coffee was too hot and I couldn't leave until it cooled off.
- An astrologer warned me of a car accident on a major highway, so I took all backroads, making me an hour late.
- My dog ate my work schedule.
- I was here, but I fell asleep in the parking lot.
- My fake eyelashes were stuck together.
- Although it has been five years, I forgot I did not work at my former employer's location and drove there on accident.
As for whether being late for work is at all acceptable, it really isn't. The survey finds that 60% of employers expect employees to be on time, while 43% have fired people for their tardiness.
Source: CareerBuilder