Why Were You Late For Work?

The recession is taking its toll on employees, but it is good for bosses that are sticklers for the rules. A new CareerBuilder.com survey shows that 15% of workers said they arrive late to work once a week or more. Why are so many people chronically late?

The most common reason for being late was traffic. Oversleeping, weather, or getting their kids to school also scored high in that department. I’m amazed that so many people are late to work, 15% are late at least once a week. But this number is actually down from last year, and down from the 20% that it was in 2008. I guess people are a little more concerned about losing their jobs now.

The CareerBuilder survey also asked some managers some of the lamest excuses they’ve had from late employees. One guy claimed his car was inhabited by a hive of bees and he couldn’t use the car for two hours until bees left. One brought a note signed by “The Bus Driver” (Seriously, that’s how it was signed, “The Bus Driver”) saying that public transportation was having problems. And another claimed his Botox appointment took longer than expected. Others from their list:

• Employee claimed their cat attacked them.
• Employee claimed his hair was hurting his head.
• Employee claimed they did not get any sleep because their boyfriend's wife threw them out of the house.
• Employee claimed they knew they were already going to be late, so they figured they’d go ahead and stop to get donuts for everyone.
• Employee claimed their Karma was not in sync that day.
• Employee claimed they got hurt taking a fork out of the dishwasher.
• Employee claimed they weren’t late … the company clock was wrong.

What’s the worst excuse you’ve ever heard for someone being late?