Are you tired of getting caught on silly excuses to call out of work? Like, I will be sick on Friday, my Grandma died again, and I accidentally washed all my clothes. Although these can also end up being a day off, they leave a bad impression.
Taking an occasional leave can indeed assist you with continuous learning in professional development. However, finding good excuses to miss work can help you avoid conflicts with your manager.
In this blog, I will provide you with a list of reasons to call a day off and the reasons you must not use it. I will also assist you with the right ways to make an excuse and samples of message templates.
Best Excuses to Call Out of Work on Short Notice
Some companies might frown upon you for taking a leave. However, it is both your legal and personal right to not go to work, when you don’t feel it is right.
I am here to give you some good excuses to get out of work on short notice. So let’s find them out.
Personal Illnesses
Taking a leave on the grounds of a personal illness is easy. Most managers sympathize on a humane level and want to give you the time to recover.
Also, the companies want to prevent the spreading of contagious diseases. This is especially true for fields like audiobook narrator jobs, teachers, and doctors where you constantly need to have a well-functioning respiratory system.
Childcare
If you are a working parent, you might face a childcare emergency like a sick child, sick babysitter, or closed daycare centers.
Alternatively, there might be other reasons, like – a school function, examinations, or doctor’s appointment for your child. Most managers will allow you the day off if you tell them that there is no other way to manage the issue.
Family Emergency
Similar to a childcare issue, you may also get a leave based on a family emergency. The reason could be a sick spouse, a lonely grandmother, a Doctor’s appointment, or the unexpected arrival of a relative.
If a manager views this emergency as unavoidable, he/she will grant you leave easily. Saying that you can’t come to the office because of a family emergency is surely one of the best last minute excuses to get out of work, feel free to use it when the time comes.
Pet Care Issues
Pets are like family members. There might be a veterinarian appointment, an unfortunate accident, sickness, a missing pet caretaker, or just a dog feeling lonely.
Accident
As unfortunate as it is, an accident can occur and is among the serious reasons to call out of work on short notice. It could be an accident at home or outside and may concern you, or your family. One thing you need to be prepared for when citing this reason is to send proof of the accident. Depending on their mood, your boss might ask for a photo.
Neighbor Issues
You may cite genuine issues related to a neighbor to get a leave. It could be sickness, accident, mental health crisis, death, or need for an assistant for an urgent appointment.
However, remember that some managers might be less likely to give you a leave for neighbor-related issues.
Vehicle Emergency
Vehicle emergencies do occur now and then and come among good excuses to get out of work. If you own a personal vehicle, you may use reasons like a flat tire or a broken down car/bike.
For those of you who use public transportation, you may cite the traffic congestion, delays, or broken services as the reasons for a day off.
House Emergencies
House emergencies are related to the place where you live. A sudden pipe burst, gas leakage, electrical fire, or a collapsed wall, are all valid reasons to request a leave.
However, be prepared for questions like, “Can’t you manage it after office?”, or “Why did you not look into it before?”.
Loss of a Loved One
It is an unfortunate event to lose a loved one, be it a family member, friend, or neighbor. In such a case, you may simply call or text your boss to request a leave.
However, remember that, since it is a sensitive reason, you should prefer to use it dishonestly.
Mental Health Crisis
If you want to understand the difference between a leader and a manager, look for how much sensitivity they show you towards a mental health issue. A good leader will always give you a day off, to calm your nerves.
Some common issues related to mental health could be overwhelm, emotional exhaustion, or anxiety.
Last-Minute Appointment
Some last-minute appointments might make you incapable of coming to work. It is among the good reasons to call out of work.
These last-minute appointments could be with a doctor, delivery agent, house-repair workman, government official, or a client.
Weather Events
Severe weather conditions can prevent you from coming to the office. It could be a disaster, like a tornado or an earthquake. Alternatively, it could also be less severe, like strong winds, snowfall, or heavy rain.
You could also ask for a day off in case there is a disaster warning. Since you will need time to gather stocks of food and essential items.
Menstrual Leave
Spain, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea have mandated menstrual leave for women. If you are facing an emergency health situation related to your menstrual period, then you may request your manager to provide the day off.
Other Good Reasons to Call Out of Work
If you prefer to take a planned day off rather than giving short notice, I can provide you with some very good reasons for doing so. The reasons to call out of work should still be good enough so that you do not have a conflict with your boss. Let us find them below.
Religious Festival
Employers today are sensitive to the different religions and their cultural festivals. It might be a good excuse to miss work if you require a day off to celebrate.
It could be any festival like Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, Halloween, or Chinese National Day. Just remember that the festival must match your cultural identity, and must be important enough to celebrate.
Special Occasion
Not only a festival, but a special occasion, might also require you to take a day or two off. It is one of those planned excuses to not go to work.
Such special occasions could be friends reunions, family functions, gender reveal parties, romantic dates, or cultural events.
Jury Duty
If you have been selected for jury duty, then you can ask your employer for several days off.
Your employer will have to grant you the leaves, to avoid getting into legal trouble.
School/Course
Those of you, who are pursuing a course, or need to take an exam, may ask your manager to provide you with some days off.
Just remember to let your manager know about your course schedule in advance. Who knows, he/she will even provide you with some tips for your academic journey.
Shifting Home
One of the good excuses to not go to work is when you are making a shift in your residence.
If such is the case, then your manager is likely to be understanding and provide you with the number of leaves that you need.
Good Excuses to Miss Work for Remote Workers
If you are a remote worker or even doing a work from home internship, then I can provide you with some excellent excuses to miss work.
There are three major reasons that you may use while asking for a day off, during telecommuting.
Technical Issues
One of the fake excuses to get out of work is having technical issues, which makes you incapable of working.
These technical issues might be related to the internet, laptop/computer, or software necessary to do work.
Inaccessible Remote Office
Some of you might be working in a remote office setup. However, sometimes such co-working spaces might get closed without a proper update.
Most of the managers understand the problematic scenario of remote office workspaces and may allow you a day off.
Civic Duties
If you have civic duties in your area that you must fulfill, this is one of the best reasons to take time off from work. Military duty, voting, or social volunteering; might be some of the top civic duties.
Good Excuses to Get Out of Work Early or Get in Late
No one is one hundred percent productive or motivated every day. There will be some days when you will want to go to work late or get out of it early.
To handle those situations skillfully, I have prepared a small list of fake excuses to get out of work early or get in after a half-day.
- You may use an excuse for easily curable illnesses, like a small headache or upset stomach.
- Less time-consuming errands like bank work, public services billing, or a brief doctor appointment can also be used.
- If you have other work commitments like the need to attend a business networking event, trade shows, or client meetings, you can freely ask for a half-day leave.
- Unforeseen circumstances like family emergencies, traffic congestion, bad weather, child issues, or neighbors’ needs can also be used on short notice.
- Not very often, but you may use casual reasons to leave work early, such as a family function, religious event, or a social gathering with friends.
Therefore, you may use any of the above pointers as grounds for asking for a half-day or a short-day leave.
Bad Excuses to Not Go to Work
There are some best excuses and good excuses to not go to work. But then, there are also bad excuses that you must always avoid providing to your boss.
Be it your team leader or manager, no one likes a negative work attitude. Below is a list of bad reasons to avoid while asking for a day off.
- When you are experiencing work conflicts, you should not use it as a reason to request a day off.
- If tiredness is your reason to ask for a leave, you should still try to give an alternate reason. This reason generally comes off as being lazy.
- Exploring other job opportunities should not be communicated as your reason for taking a leave.
- Prefer not to tell your manager about the avoidable mistakes, like, having a hangover, missing a bus, or forgetting the shift timing.
- Workplace unhappiness should never be among the excuses not to go to work.
- Avoidable last-minute requests like family functions, planned appointments, civic duties, or special occasions must not be used on short notice.
Now let us look at the best ways to request a day off from your office.
How to Call Out of Work?: The Right Ways to Communicate
Even if you have a good excuse to miss work, the way you request a leave can make or break a conflict. You will need good interpersonal and intrapersonal communication skills to have your way.
Do not worry! I will tell you some key points to keep in mind before making your move. Find out the best ways to communicate below:
- Keep it Simple: You should not give too many details. Keep your call or message brief and direct.
- Be Honest: If your boss catches you lying, he/she will likely give you trouble allowing a future leave.
- Follow Company Policy: Try to follow the procedures of your company while applying for the leave.
- Formal Message: Always remember to put in a formal message or email while applying for the leave.
- Avoid Odd Hours: It creates a very bad impression on your manager if you disturb him/her in the odd hours.
Thus, if you have been searching for good excuses to call out of your office, you must remember to follow the above guidelines.
Message Templates to Request a Day Off
If you are searching for good excuses to call off work, then you will also need the right message or email templates. Let us find out the best templates that you may use.
You may use the above templates, or even combine their language, to develop a good excuse to miss work.
To Sum it Up
It is completely fine to make excuses to call out of work if you are not feeling it to go to the office.
However, you must remember to not make it a habit, follow reasonable work ethics, and communicate your issues in the right manner. We hope you found this article to be useful.
FAQs
Ans: You should never feel guilty about not working on your day off. It is completely a personal decision to make, and the companies can almost always manage without an employee or two.
Ans: Most societies have ended up promoting a toxic work culture. Work is just a part of your life, not your life. So, never feel guilty if you do not worship your work.
Ans: Funny ways to call a day off at your office would be to tell your boss that you broke your spectacles, got caught in a lift, or got so hungover that even making a call to ask for a day off is difficult.
Ans: As long as you do not make it a habit, the bosses consider calling in sick, quite normal.
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