Posted by Erik Even on Aug 13, 2009 in
Employment Some are from the Internet, and some are from my mind alone: the Top 13 Excuses for Being Late to Work:
13. My Mom didn’t wake me up on time. She doesn’t like to come into the basement.
12. Starbucks was out of caramel macchiato syrup. So I went home.
11. When I woke up the morning, I was still tied to the bed and the whore was gone.
10. My left turn signal was out, so I had to make all right turns to get to work.
9. I’m [insert religion here], and we don’t recognize Daylight Savings Time. We call it “Daylight Satan’s Time.”
8. I had a headache and did not want to give it to anyone else.
7. There was a parade, and Ferris Bueller was singing “Twist & Shout.”
6. This morning my wife was getting pregnant, and I wanted to be there.
5. I’m late because nothing’s more important to me than our beloved Alaska. In fact, I quit!
4. Sorry, I have the swine flu, and I had to stop and buy these surgical masks for everyone else in the office to wear.
3. I thought we had Columbus Day off.
2. Don’t oppress me with your White male notions of linear time!
1. I was late today because I was reading “late for work” excuses on my computer.
Got any better excuses? Let us know in the comments!
Tags: business communication, excuses, humor, punctuality, tardiness
Posted by Erik Even on Jul 14, 2009 in
Advice,
Employment I live in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, which has the fifth worst average commute time in the nation, at 26.5 minutes. But I’ve had jobs that required a hour-and-a-half commute each way, and that’s not unusual.
Commuting to work can create a great deal of stress, and that stress can bleed into your work life and your home life. But there are ways to make commuting easier.
Leave home much earlier than you usually have to leave. It may take you 45 minutes to get to work most mornings, but there is always going to be an accident, or construction, or a loose animal in the lanes, and the time of your commute doubles or triples. Unfortunately, employers often don’t care why you are late, just that you are late. So arrive early. Get some coffee. Be the first person at your desk — it’s very impressive.
Of course, if you have a family or other responsibilities, it may not be viable to give up even more of your time to your commute and employer.
Buy gas on your way home, at a regular location you use all the time. Never leave gas purchases to the morning — you’ll just make yourself late for work.
Listen to books on tape. You’re not going to learn anything from that wacky morning zoo radio show. Take advantage of the extra time each day to expand your horizons.
Don’t work in the car. Sure, you’re making up for lost time — until you die in a fiery crash because you had your BlackBerry jammed into one ear while you tried to take notes and drink from your Starbucks brushed-metal coffee mug. Work can wait until you get to work.
Carpool. Many employer offer incentives to workers who carpool. If you can find other employees who live in your general area, this is a great option.
But remember you are putting your arrival time in the hands of others. Make sure you have a back-up plan so you can get to work on time if the carpool driver bails. Make sure everyone in the carpool understands that if they can’t make it that morning, to give the others as much notice as possible.
Also, split the cost of gas evenly. Don’t try to get more money from people who live farther away, or break it down by mile, or try to charge for “wear and tear” on your car. Just split the costs evenly — it’s better for everyone.
Got any suggestions for commuters? Let us know in the comments!
Tags: carpooling, commuting, job advice, tardiness
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