More Flimsy Excuses

HRsage

I'm starting a new thread on this because the other is getting too long.

I need to share this excuse someone gave for not coming in yesterday. The ee was driving to work (30 minute drive) and spilled coffee on their pants making a big stain. They stopped off at a laundrymat on the way to work to wash the clothes (I guess they were in the laundrymat in their undergarments?) but the stain didn't come out. So the ee had to drive all the way home to change but had nothing else to wear, and by that time it was already too late to come in for the day so they called out. Now that is a quite a doozie!

jmpmo

I can not even believe that. You know, I am just curious what goes through someones mind when they do something like that. Any clues anyone? xflash







"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese

Margaret Morford

What mind?

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

globex

Did you hear the one about the Southwest Airline pilots? Look at what they did to the pilots!!

Don D

The pilots griped about flight attendants being unruly and they gave them guns, right? No, I didn't hear about the airline pilots.

sonny

you missed it Don, they were naked.. or almost. But there was a logical explanation..they had spilled coffee and had to strip. .or something like that. I caught the tail end of it, but maybe someone got the whole thing.

Don D

Naked Pilots? Sounds to me like someone DID indeed get either the "tail end of it or the whole thing"!

Don D

Sonny: Is there more than one pun intended in your last sentence?

sonny

I'll never tell

Whatever

I had an employee who told me he didn't come to work for two days or call in because he was being held prisoner by the army which wanted to recruit him. He then offered to give me a telephone number where I could call. You should have seen his face when I took him up on his offer.
I am constantly amazed that there are employees who assume I am a complete moron.

jmpmo

That is to funny too be believed. I would appreciate it more if they just called and said, I don't feel like coming in today. See you tomorrow. At least then it would be a little honesty.

I like the excuses people come up with when you know they are out looking for another job. Ie. sick kids, sick themselves etc. I think my favorite is the "dead" grandma. We had someone say that and then they went to an interview where I knew the HR person so she called me. I figure it is just another daily challenge in the life of HR people.






"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese

Paul in Cannon Beach

Here is my flimsy excuse...

I have been too busy to read or post on HR Hero. Boo!!

My job is SERIOUSLY interfering with my work.

Paul

ritaanz

I had an employee with poor attendance that was absent 2 days, no call no show. When she showed up for work on the 3rd day, she said her father was killed in an armed robbery,out of state and with all that was happening could not call in. She presented me with the death certificate. The date of death on the cert was correct but she forgot to change the date the cert was filed by the county clerk sometime in 1980's. Is nothing sacred?

Zanne

You know - with a story like that - that's more work than just coming to work!

Rockie

>I had an employee with poor attendance that was absent 2 days, no call
>no show. When she showed up for work on the 3rd day, she said her
>father was killed in an armed robbery,out of state and with all that
>was happening could not call in. She presented me with the death
>certificate. The date of death on the cert was correct but she forgot
>to change the date the cert was filed by the county clerk sometime in
>1980's. Is nothing sacred?


Dear GAWWWWWWWWD! The lengths people will go to to get some days off!

Whatever

If these employee spent as much energy doing their job as they did trying to get out of working, they would probably have terrific reviews.

Leslie

When I hear about employees lying about someone being seriously ill or dying I always think you're playing with fire. If you're religious, God will get you, if not, what goes around comes around.

System

I'm with you, Whatever. I was just reading in South Dakota Employment Law Letter about someone who used the dead-relative ploy to get a day off. He went to the trouble of creating a fake program from a funeral home but still got caught.

Down the hall from me, a manager was interviewing an applicant for a job that requires typing. The applicant argued that she shouldn't have to take the typing test because she had been accepted to a masters-level program at a local college. x:-/ Translation: She types like she has 10 left thumbs. th-down

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

mrbill

Up here in Boston, one of our favored authors is Robert Parker, who has written about 30 "Spenser" novels. They made a number of them into TV movies. Employee called in one day (she had run out of excuses) - "They are filming a movie on my street, and I can not get out. I will not be able to come to work today".

jmpmo

"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese

These are so great. It makes me feel a little better about some of the excuses we have had. We put an end to the dead relative excuse. We send flowers to any employee's relative for funerals. Once they have to give up that information for us to send flowers, that takes care of it pretty quickly.

lorrie

My husband is a fan of Robert Parker also. We don't live anywhere near Boston - we live in Kansas, but we always watch for his new books.

Nrdgrrl

My favorite (from a while ago) was when one of my associates couldn't come in on Monday because she had spent all day Sunday walking around Six Flags and now her feet hurt! Arg!

jmpmo

"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese


I really think we could compile all of these and write a great book. Who's in?

Don D

Did you not know that some of the employees at HR Hero already use us and our responses as fodder for manuscripts, books and papers they write?

jmpmo

>Did you not know that some of the employees at HR Hero already use us
>and our responses as fodder for manuscripts, books and papers they
>write?

I had no idea Don, as I am fairly new here. Where are our royalties?






"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese

POPEYE

Christy takes them all to buy baby stuff!!

jmpmo

"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese

Well, that is definitely acceptable.

qsausagelm

We received a call from an employee that it was too windy for him to come to work. I thought I had heard 'em all. Turns out he rode his bicycle to work and could not keep upright. Pretty neat excuse, huh?

Tony Starks

One Friday last year one of my peers (a fellow supervisor who happens to be a decent guy) once called in sick. I was scheduled to be off half day that Friday because I had plans to attend a matinee with my nephews to check out Harry Potter 2 (this was the second weekend, not the opening). Anticipating a long line, we purchased tickets and arrived an hour early and sat on the carpet to be the first in line. And yes, being early paid off. But the point of my story is, I'm sitting on the carpet with my nephews playing with my cell phone when I look up and see my peer and his wife passing us by with a popcorn bucket and drinks! Luckily for him, he didn't see me although he literally walked right passed me - I mean, we were probably 12 feet apart. I was very surprised and even mentioned his alibi to the kids! I wasn't upset though and never confronted him or anyone else at work about it. I just found the circumstance very funny and admit sometimes you do need to get away. I still don't know what he checked out at the movies though. I asked him how his health was when we came back to work Monday - he said he was much better.

Rockie

Guess he needed a mental health day huh?