Excuses for Being an Hour Late to Work

Excuses for Being an Hour Late to Work: Ever been late to work? It happens to the best of us, and sometimes it’s due to circumstances beyond our control. But let’s be real, who hasn’t used an excuse or two to cover up their tardiness? And let’s face it, sometimes bosses just blindly believe us to avoid wasting time trying to verify our stories. So, here are some of the most creative and effective excuses people have used to explain their unexpected lateness to work.

Excuses for Being an Hour Late to Work

Traffic

One of the most common excuses for being late to work given by many employees is that the traffic was unbearable. Many go ahead and give the cause of the huge traffic like interruption by certain activity, car breaks down along the highway, etc.

Circumstances when not to give traffic as an excuse for being late to work

• If you had given out the same excuse in the recent time. Your boss will expect you to understand the routine of traffic in your area and hence expects you to adjust to it and be able to report to work on time
• Do not give out an excuse for traffic if you come from the same area as your boss. Chances are that he may have reported early than you, so you have no reason why you couldn’t do the same.

On the hand you can give excuses for traffic as a reason for being late to work if:

• There was an unexpected interruption of traffic flow,
• there was an accident
• unexpected weather conditions that interfered with traffic etc.

In normal circumstances, these situations are expected to affect traffic and if you base your excuse on these facts then you are likely to get no blame for your lateness.

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Car breakdown

Another good excuse you can give for being late to work is that your car broke down. This excuse may work because no one can predict when a car will malfunction. Unless you are sure that no one will buy your idea if you have a car and one day you find yourself late to work then you can always pull out this excuse

Circumstances when not to give car breakdown as an excuse for being late to work

• The most obvious reason not to give out this excuse is when everyone in the office knows that you do not have a car.
• The other one is when you recently bought a good car that has fewer chances of breaking down

However, if you have a car that has been having mechanical issues then you can use the car breakdown as a cover-up.

Not feeling well

It is expected that at one point our body can take a toll on us, although it’s not the best excuse to give when you are out of excuses you can try out this one. Try to inform your boss or supervisor of your delay to report to work due to a minor illness that you are trying to find a solution to.

Times not to use illness as an excuse for being late to work

• If you have recently given out that excuse then forget about it the next time you are late, it may look like a habit you have formed.
• If you have a health condition that often needs attention and makes you take your off days, then does not use sickness as a scapegoat even when you are well. It may create an image that you are unable to deal with your work
• To be safe when using this excuse ensure that your work policy does not require proof of sickness as one reason for being late or taking off days.

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Delay in public transport

If you use public transport as means of getting to work, then you can pull out this excuse. It could a delay in the arrival of the train or bus. Everyone knows that public transport can be predictable but at times it can have delays.

When to use this excuse

• If there is no way for your boss or supervisor to check out the reality on the ground. For instance, a delay in a public bus will less likely be detected than a delay in a train station or airport.

When not to use this excuse

On the side, you cannot use this excuse if the area you are living in has no public buses, trains, or cabs.

Unfavorable Weather condition

One of the best excuses to give for being late to work is the bad weather condition. Depending on the season you can for instance say it rained and flooded in your area, or the road was impassable due to the heavy snow, etc. Use the most appropriate excuse favorable to you.

Situations when not to use Unfavorable Weather conditions as an excuse for being late to work

• Do not say it was flooded during a season when rain is not expected chances are that it will come out as a lie.
• Another one is if you come from the same area as another employee who was on time

However, if the weather forecast has predicted bad weather conditions in certain areas then you can use this excuse and it will come out as true.

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Urgent matters related to a close family member

Many employees base their lateness work on problems related to their families. It could be an illness of a close family member, an accident, or any problem such as addiction, hospitalization, school bus delay, etc.

You can easily get away with this excuse but if you know that your boss is likely to meet with any person where he/she can mention the matter then it is good to avoid it. Chances are that you will get discovered and the next time you get into a real problem no one will believe you

Pets problem

Another atypical confession many people use is regarding their pets. For instance, the pets might have gotten stuck in a hole, roof, or even in a window grill. The pet might have run out and got lost or simply it may have become ill.

Being locked indoors

You can also say that you got locked inside the house by your children and you had to look for an alternative exit. Although this is an excuse that may be less convincing it can still work.

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Other Excuses for Being an Hour Late to Work 

• As a new employee you can say you had problems getting an alternative route since the one you are used to was closed

• If you are a pregnant lady, you can actually say that the morning sickness had a good part of your morning and you did everything possible to feel better to get to work on time
• You can also say that a thief’s tried to get into your house but you informed the police early so the criminal ran off before they were caught
• My eyeglasses broke and had to take them for repair since I cannot do much without them
• My son who has an addiction problem, nearly overdosed and had to take to a hospital
• My car keys got lost and had to find a replacement
• I realized my car insurance was expired and had to pass by my insurance agency to renew it

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Points to remember before giving out any excuses for being late to work

Before giving out any excuses for being late it would be prudent to:

• Inform your boss as early as possible, do not wait until time has passed then you start calling him/her. You should inform him/her of your lateness before your reporting hours are passed
• Try to give to as less excuses as possible even your boss is human and will likely get tired of your excuse and it can get you fired
• Do not give a lot of explanation for your excuse, it may make it look like a lie that you are trying to cover
• In a situation where you have a reasonable reason for being late then give it instead of giving another excuse
• Where necessary try to cover up for the time wasted
• Apologize for being late and acknowledge that you know it portrays a bad example and even affects teamwork since your team members have to either wait for you or waste time giving you updates.
• Do not make lateness a habit, such a chronic habit may raise eyebrows
• Apology for being late for work

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Conclusion: Excuses for Being an Hour Late to Work

Some excuses for being late to work can be outrageous, and many employees think that their employers are too vague to believe them. Truth be told, in most cases your boss knows when you are using excuses as a cover-up. The best solution for being late to work is reporting to work early. Plan your schedule in a way that you beat that traffic. This will ensure that when you are late no one will judge you since you are always on time on most days. The above excuses for being late may work or not, so it’s up to you to know when to apply them. Take the necessary action to ensure that all will be well.