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10 smart excuses for coming late in the Office
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10 smart excuses for coming late in the Office
1. I`ve Earned It: No one can argue with performance. Come in two or three hours early -- or stay late -- for a week or two. Then negotiate a day off in advance. "Really work when you`re there, so you`ll be able to feel good about taking time off," says Andrea Nierenberg, president of The Nierenberg Group, a management consulting and personal marketing practice.
2. I`m Playing Golf with a Client: For this one to work, you`ve got to have a job that requires you to meet and court current and prospective clients. Neil Simpkins, an account executive at Oxford Communications, has used this one successfully. One note of caution: Meet the client; don`t just say you did.
3. I Have a Doctor`s Appointment: This excuse will get you out of work for a half-day or so. Make the appointment first thing in the morning or late in the day, say around 3 p.m. You can leave the office by 2:30 p.m. and get home (hopefully) by 4 p.m. The shortened day will help you recharge, especially if you schedule it on a Friday afternoon.
4. I Have Cramps: Before you dismiss this one, think about it: Who can argue? "It`s such an embarrassing topic that nobody will ever challenge it," says Jennifer Newman, vice president of Lippe Taylor Public Relations. She has used this excuse -- and had it used on her -- successfully. "It`s one of those things that men honestly have no clue about, and women can sympathize with." One important point: Don`t use this one if you`re a man. It`ll never work.
5. I`m Working from Home: This is an excellent way to give yourself a break if your company allows it. Although you`ll need to do some work, you can generally get away with a shortened day. And you`ll eliminate your commuting time.
Not-So-Smart Excuses
1. There`s a Death in the Family: Don`t ever use this excuse if it`s not true. Your employer will lose all trust in you. "I had an employee whose mother died -- twice," says David Wear, a Virginia PR executive. "He also had the misfortune of losing all his grandparents -- 12 of them -- during a two-year period."
2. I`m Too Sleepy: When she was a manager at IBM, Marilynn Mobley heard it all. This one still makes her laugh: The employee apparently took Tylenol 3 with codeine instead of a vitamin, because the bottles looked alike.
3. I Can`t Get My Car Out of the Garage: This is another one that Mobley didn`t buy. An employee said that a power failure was preventing him from opening his power-operated garage door. "I reminded him that there`s a pull chain on it for just such cases," she says.
4. I Can`t Find My Polling Place: Mary Dale Walters, a communications specialist at CCH Inc., couldn`t believe this one. A former employee needed an entire day to figure out where she had to go to vote in the 1996 presidential election.
5. I Have a Personal Emergency: This one is so vague that it rarely works. It could mean anything from fatigue to an appointment with your hairdresser, and your boss knows it.
Don`t lie, no matter which excuse you use. "I`m not a believer in playing hooky, because it always comes back to you," Nierenberg says. "Don`t lie to your boss, your supervisor or your clients. You`re guaranteed they will be the ones you`ll run into while you`re walking down the street in your jeans."
Regards
Arun
2. I`m Playing Golf with a Client: For this one to work, you`ve got to have a job that requires you to meet and court current and prospective clients. Neil Simpkins, an account executive at Oxford Communications, has used this one successfully. One note of caution: Meet the client; don`t just say you did.
3. I Have a Doctor`s Appointment: This excuse will get you out of work for a half-day or so. Make the appointment first thing in the morning or late in the day, say around 3 p.m. You can leave the office by 2:30 p.m. and get home (hopefully) by 4 p.m. The shortened day will help you recharge, especially if you schedule it on a Friday afternoon.
4. I Have Cramps: Before you dismiss this one, think about it: Who can argue? "It`s such an embarrassing topic that nobody will ever challenge it," says Jennifer Newman, vice president of Lippe Taylor Public Relations. She has used this excuse -- and had it used on her -- successfully. "It`s one of those things that men honestly have no clue about, and women can sympathize with." One important point: Don`t use this one if you`re a man. It`ll never work.
5. I`m Working from Home: This is an excellent way to give yourself a break if your company allows it. Although you`ll need to do some work, you can generally get away with a shortened day. And you`ll eliminate your commuting time.
Not-So-Smart Excuses
1. There`s a Death in the Family: Don`t ever use this excuse if it`s not true. Your employer will lose all trust in you. "I had an employee whose mother died -- twice," says David Wear, a Virginia PR executive. "He also had the misfortune of losing all his grandparents -- 12 of them -- during a two-year period."
2. I`m Too Sleepy: When she was a manager at IBM, Marilynn Mobley heard it all. This one still makes her laugh: The employee apparently took Tylenol 3 with codeine instead of a vitamin, because the bottles looked alike.
3. I Can`t Get My Car Out of the Garage: This is another one that Mobley didn`t buy. An employee said that a power failure was preventing him from opening his power-operated garage door. "I reminded him that there`s a pull chain on it for just such cases," she says.
4. I Can`t Find My Polling Place: Mary Dale Walters, a communications specialist at CCH Inc., couldn`t believe this one. A former employee needed an entire day to figure out where she had to go to vote in the 1996 presidential election.
5. I Have a Personal Emergency: This one is so vague that it rarely works. It could mean anything from fatigue to an appointment with your hairdresser, and your boss knows it.
Don`t lie, no matter which excuse you use. "I`m not a believer in playing hooky, because it always comes back to you," Nierenberg says. "Don`t lie to your boss, your supervisor or your clients. You`re guaranteed they will be the ones you`ll run into while you`re walking down the street in your jeans."
Regards
Arun
