12 outrageous excuses for being late to work

clockMove over classic late-to-work excuses, there are some new kids in town.

Gone are the days of traffic, snow covered road, broken alarm clock, child care, and taking-the-cat-to-the-vet reasons for being tardy. Employees are getting creative.

A new survey from CareerBuilder is revealing some of the most outrageous and bizarre excuses employees tell their bosses when they get to work late.

  1. I thought of quitting today, but then decided not to, so I came in late.
  2. My hair caught on fire from my blow dryer.
  3. I was detained by Homeland Security.
  4. I had to chase my cows back into the field.
  5. A black bear entered my carport and decided to take a nap on the hood of my car.
  6. My lizard had to have emergency surgery in the morning and died during surgery. I had to mourn while deciding whether to have the lizard disposed of by the vet or bring the lizard corpse with me to work.
  7. There was fresh powder on the hill. I had to go skiing.
  8. There was a store grand opening and I wanted to get the opening day sales.
  9. I had to finish watching “My Name is Earl.”
  10. All of my clothes were stolen.
  11. I was confused by the time change and unsure if it was “spring forward” or “fall back.”
  12. A Vaseline truck overturned on the highway and cars were slipping left and right.

More than 2,500 managers and 3,200 workers across the country, in a variety of industries, were part of the survey, according to CareerBuilder.

The survey also says 25% of workers (1 in 4) admitted they get to work late at least once a month.

Jon Chrisos

About Jon Chrisos

Award-winning journalist Jon Chrisos is the investigative and consumer reporter at CBS 13 in Portland. He also anchors weeknights at 5:30. Chrisos is “On Your Side” investigating the stories that make a difference in your life. He’s passionate about helping those who’ve been wronged, exposing government waste, asking tough questions, and uncovering the truth.