Cat hiccups, keys stolen by a fox and a job interview with another firm are among the most unusual excuses employees gave for being tardy, according to a new CareerBuilder study.
The report revealed that some 16% of workers indicated that they arrive late to work once a week or more, up from 15% last year. Up to 27% of workers arrive late to work at least once a month, up from 26% in 2011.
Despite more employers being flexible about work schedules and start times, tardiness can have serious consequences. Over one third (34%) of employers said that they have terminated an employee for being late.
“Punctuality – or lack thereof – can impact how your commitment, reliability and performance are perceived by your employer,” said Rosemary Haefner, VP of HR at CareerBuilder.
She added that one of the best ways to make sure you get to work on time is to get organised and plan ahead. Lay out whatever you’ll need for the workday the night before, plan to be at the office early, account for expected commute delays and eliminate distractions in your morning routine, advised Haefner.
Top reasons for coming in late:
1) Traffic – 31% of workers
2) Lack of sleep – 18%
3) Bad weather – 11%
4) Getting kids to school or daycare – 8%
Most outrageous reasons for coming in late, as shared by hiring managers:
1) Employee's cat had the hiccups.
2) Employee thought she had won the lottery (she didn't).
3) Employee got distracted watching the TODAY Show.
4) Employee's angry roommate cut the cord to his phone charger, so it didn't charge and his alarm didn't go off.
5) Employee believed his commute time should count toward his work hours.
6) Employee claimed a fox stole her car keys.
7) Employee's leg was trapped between the subway car and the platform (turned out to be true).
8) Employee said he wasn't late because he had no intention of getting to work before 9:00 a.m. (his start time was 8:00 a.m.)
9) Employee was late because of a job interview with another firm.
10) Employee had to take a personal call from the state governor (turned out to be true).
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