The top 10 most worn out excuses for being late for work

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LateIt’s a fact of life most people are guilty of being late for work at some point .
There’s no worse feeling than realizing your running late and having to come up with a valid excuse to explain your lateness to your boss.
However more often than not the same excuses come up time after time.

At Easy Offices we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 most worn out excuses. Are you guilty of using them?

Sorry I’m late…

1. I got stuck in traffic
This is probably the most common excuse of all. We all know that the daily commute can be a pain and getting held up in traffic can scupper even the best laid plans of arriving in the office on time.
The problem with this excuse is your boss will have heard it a thousand times over and it can be hard to believe.

2. I lost my keys
This excuse cannot be proved or challenged in any way but may make you look like a scatter brain to your boss.

3. My alarm didn’t go off
Oldest trick in the book and not an excuse that is easy to accept. In this day in age where most peoples mobile phones are attached to their hip and technology is like something out of the space age the old fail safe excuse is fail safe no more.

4. My bus/train didn’t arrive on time
Classic excuse- blame someone else. Obviously this is often a perfectly legitimate excuse and outside of your control. However, use it one too many times and you might get told to find an alternative way into work.

5. I had car trouble
Often this excuse is given in its vaguest form. Car trouble can mean a multitude of things and unless your boss is a budding mechanic they probably don’t want to hear what the actual trouble was.

6. I left my phone at home
And had to go back for it obviously! Whether we use our mobile for work or not, being without it for a day can be like missing your right arm.

7. I overslept
This is the laziest excuse on the list and used more than once can set you on track to being fired.

8. I had a family problem
We all have lives outside of work and sometimes family issues creep into work time. This excuse can often be difficult to handle for managers as there is a certain level of sensitivity involved. Make sure you don’t abuse your bosses trust.

9. I didn’t get your message that we were meeting somewhere different
This excuse is standard when meeting away from the office. More than often it is due to poor or mis- interpreted communication. It can make you appear unorganized and if happens more than once may raise questions about your listening skills.

10. I didn’t realise the time
What more can be said. This is possibly the worst excuse in the list.

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