Excuses to miss work on short notice are those impromptu reasons you give to get a day off from work. These excuses can come in different forms, but it is important to make them sound convincing whenever the need arises. For instance, if you are known as a bachelor, you can’t come up with the excuse that your wife had a medical emergency or just gave birth when everyone at the workplace knows you are alone.
Such misleading excuses might succeed in getting you out of work, but permanently. Thus, it is necessary to come up with plausible excuses to miss work, especially if it’s coming on short notice. Consider the circumstances at hand and prepare your backup story if something comes up. Most importantly, remember the exact excuse you gave your boss or supervisor to avoid contradicting yourself if you are asked how things are going. The following examples can give you hints on how to go about it.
Good Excuses To Call Off Work Last Minute
Calling off work last minute might get a little cranky for people you work with, especially if your excuse is not good enough. Considering they have to take up extra work to fill in for your absence, this is expected. So, you are going to need to be very convincing if you need to miss work last minute, and the following excuses will get you the credibility you need.
Your car broke down/flat tire
This is a common one on the list of good excuses to call off work last minute. Whether you wish to leave the office a bit too early or don’t want to come in, car troubles can serve as a plausible excuse. You can say your car broke down on the way or won’t start at all, and you need to spend a lot of time at the workshop fixing it. A flat tire can also keep you stranded and serve as a good excuse to miss work. This excuse will likely get you one day off from work.
You fell sick suddenly
As cliché as it sounds, this is probably the best excuse to call off work last minute. Everyone gets sick every once in a while, so why not you? Besides, sickness can destabilize you on short notice, making it a good excuse to give your boss when you want to miss work. Again, you can hardly be productive if you report to work sick; thus, the best thing to do would be to seek medical help.
This excuse can get you off work for more than a day, depending on the seriousness of the illness. It can also get you off work permanently if your boss asks for proof of medical treatment and you can’t bring it.
Sick child emergency
Anyone who has kids will relate to the fact that they come with emergencies until they can take care of themselves. Thus, if you are a family man/woman, saying you have a sick child to take care of is a good excuse to call off work last minute. However, using this as an excuse when you don’t have kids might turn around to bite you.
Your wife is in labor
If everyone at your workplace knows you have a pregnant wife, then you can use this to get off work at the last minute. Even when the baby didn’t come at the end of the day, you can say it was just false labor. Nevertheless, don’t use this excuse to get off work if you don’t have a pregnant wife at home, and everyone knows that. You can get off work for more than a day with this plausible excuse to call off work last minute as long as you play your cards well.
Trouble at home
This can come in different forms – from domestic accidents, mishaps at home, a case of domestic violence, or even floods or fires. You need to narrow it down before presenting the excuse to your superior at work. Also, it is important that you pick what is relatable to you if you don’t want to land yourself in a hot mess and probably stand a chance of losing your job. If your residential area has had a known history of floods, you got yourself a good excuse.
Foolproof Excuses To Get Out Of Work
Foolproof here depicts a well-thought-out reliable plan with no loopholes. Perhaps you are already at work, but you need to get out to take care of something, or you don’t want to come in at all; there are a thousand and one foolproof excuses you can use if you know where to look. Before making your choice, make sure that your story aligns with real-time circumstances to avoid getting into trouble with your boss. Bellow are some foolproof excuses you can use to get out of work.
You got food poisoning
This is a condition that should be treated as an emergency, and you need to be a really good actor to claim food poisoning without actually suffering from it. You might need to look the part to convince your boss to let you go and pray he doesn’t ask for proof of medical treatment after you must have enjoyed your day off. Food poisoning can happen to anyone, anywhere, and anytime without prior warning, so you can scale through with this as your excuse to get off work.
Dentist appointment
Taking care of your teeth is one of the tasks you owe yourself as an adult, and it pays to do that. However, it may require a few trips to the dentist, and everyone, including your boss, knows that. This excuse will work even better if you already have a history of toothaches and dental troubles. Just be ready to deal with a situation that might require you to provide evidence of your visit to the dentist the next day.
You got a call from your child’s school about an emergency
There are days you get such calls to come to your kid’s school to sort things out, and you can easily use this as an excuse to get off work. Kids can get into fights, be involved in playground accidents, or be caught doing something unsavory that requires the attention of their parents. This makes it a plausible excuse to give your boss to get off work, but apparently, you need to have kids in school to be able to use this excuse.
Possible flooding mishap
If you live in an area where flood is an issue, you got yourself a good excuse to get off work, but it has to be raining cats and dogs for this to make sense. You can back up your story by saying you got a call from your neighbor about a possible flooding incident in your area, and you need to get home fast to ensure your property is safe.
You need to pick someone from the airport
If you don’t pick this person, they might as well take an airport taxi, but if you choose someone close to you, it becomes a good excuse to tell your boss you need to get out of work. It is better to use close relatives, especially the ones who can’t move around on their own. Needless to say that your old parents make a perfect excuse.
Bulletproof Excuses To Get Out Of Work
There are excuses that nobody can resist, and you can’t be faulted for using them as long as you didn’t get caught. Something like calling in sick is common, and every human being can relate. Women can also use menstrual cramps as an excuse to miss work. The following excuses can get you out of work at short notice.
You got a migraine/menstrual cramps
This would be perfect if your job requires a lot of brainwork, you can use the excuse of a migraine to get your day off from work, and nobody can blame you. You may need to look at the part to scale through with this, which is not so hard to do. Your boss might tell you to go home and get some rest or send you to the clinic, after which you still get off work.
It’s moving day
It would be the perfect excuse for someone who is on a transfer, coming or going to another branch. If you just transferred from a different location or you just got a job, and you don’t have a place of your own yet, you not only need to rent a place but will need time to move. Needless to add that your boss needs to know you had plans of moving before this excuse can make sense.
You are looking at new home options
This is still on the same page as moving day, but in this case, you are still hunting for a place to stay after relocating to a new city or just changing homes. For this to work, you need to let your office know you are looking for a house. Subsequently, a sudden need to get off work last minute doesn’t have to be so difficult to handle if you use this as your excuse. You can even play around with this for a while until your house-hunting stage passes.
Your pregnant wife needs you
As long as you don’t abuse this by using it too often, or when everyone knows you don’t have a wife, it will serve as a good excuse to get off work. Once you have a pregnant wife at home, there are a lot of excuses to be made from there, but it is important to moderate them to get the best results each time. Even when the baby comes, you can still leverage it to make excuses to miss work at short notice.
You need to meet with a client
You can only succeed here if your boss doesn’t keep track of all your clients as you might be asked which one. This excuse is a good one for those in the marketing department with the major task of bringing new clients to the company. In that case, you can tell your boss that you are meeting with a client, and it’s okay. Before you get carried away by this easy excuse that gets you off work, it is also important that you do your job well; that way, nobody will pay any attention when you say you are leaving the office to meet a client.
What To Say When Calling Out Of Work Last Minute
There are days you might need to call out of work last minute, but the true reason doesn’t sound good enough, and you need a more convincing one. If you are yet to find a reason that resonates with you, we have more below to help you convince your boss to give you the day off.
Your pet got sick
Well, a parent has to take care of his ward, whether human or animal. In the same way that you would say your child or wife got sick, you can use your pet to get off work last minute. If you are a pet parent, you must take care of your canine or feline companion or whatever you have in your custody. Thus, a pet medical emergency should be taken seriously too. Be sure that people in your place of work know you have a pet at least.
Pain from a sprained ankle/sour back, take your pick
Suppose you lie about a sprained ankle to call off from work last minute, be ready to limp for a while, and be convincing about it. Nevertheless, saying you fell down the stairs and sprained your ankle or just twisted your ankle and can’t stand the excruciating pain will get you some time away from work. You can even get more than a day for this, and hopefully, your boss will not bother to ask for proof of medical treatment for the sprain or back pain.
Broken or lost spectacles
If you can’t see clearly, then there’s no way you can be productive at work, so why not take the day off and fix your spectacle issue. No need to add that to use this, you must be suffering from severe eye problems that everyone knows about, and you can hardly see without your glasses. This works if you play your cards very well without raising any suspicions.
Your mental health is in jeopardy
As humans, there is a limit to what we can take at any point in time. Sometimes you feel like you are losing your mind, and that is your clue to take time off from work to take care of your mental health. Telling your boss you need to pay attention to your mental health is not a bad idea or excuse to get off work for a day or two. This works better if you are known as a hard worker who has been very productive over time. Your boss will gladly grant your request, knowing you will come back better.
Locked in or out
There are many ways to turn this into a hilarious story to get you off work for the day. It could be that you mistakenly jammed the door and got locked out, or you are inside the house and can’t get out for one reason or the other. Whatever reason you come up with must be able to convince your supervisor to give you the day off. If it’s good enough, you can even get your boss laughing over the condition you supposedly found yourself in.
Excuses You Can Use To Miss Work When Your Are Working From Home
Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean you can’t get a day off sometimes. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the globe, more people are now working from home and loving it. If you are one of those who have made their homes a comfortable working place, these excuses can get you that desired day off.
Traveled out of service area
One of the perks of working from home is that you can work from anywhere, which means you can travel at will. Thus, you can say you traveled and can’t find the internet to work.
Computer troubles
This is a common issue when you work from home, and there is very little your office can do to help at short notice since you are not there. This means a day off for you.
Poor internet connection
Aside from traveling to a no-service area, you can also suffer poor internet connection, which can be attributed to many reasons. The poor connection can last for as long as you need it to.
Doctor’s appointment
Even when you are working from home, you still need your boss’s approval to miss work to go for your medical check-up, which might take the whole day. Notably, most of the other aforementioned excuses to miss work can also apply to those working from home.
Things You Must Never Do Or Say While Giving Excuses To Get Out Of Work
To come up with some believable excuses to miss work on short notice, there are rules that must be adhered to. For instance, you can’t use your wife as an excuse when everyone at your workplace knows you are still single and probably living alone. Therefore, you need to follow the right path to achieve your desired result of getting out of work and staying out of trouble. These tips will help you come up with the best excuses.
Don’t say someone died
Using someone’s death as an excuse is a no-no. Unless someone actually died, you must never use that as an excuse to miss work because it will backfire in the long run. You might start getting condolence visits or have people from work asking when the funeral will be fixed. In all, it is a bad idea to say someone died when nobody actually died.
Don’t be caught off guard when your boss wants to check on you
If you say you got food poisoning or you are sick, there is every possibility that your boss or teammates will call to check up on you. When that happens, remember to play your part to perfection. Some people forget that they are supposed to be sick and may give themselves up through unusual answers.
Don’t say you have a job interview to attend
Although it sounds like a plausible excuse to miss work, telling your boss you have an interview to attend is very insensitive. Nevertheless, secret job interviews are some of the reasons people need to lie to miss work in the first place. Aside from those days you don’t feel like working, trying to clear your schedule to pave the way for a job interview might see you come up with an excuse.
Using the same excuse all the time makes your excuse less credible
Of course, when you keep saying you got food poisoning every time you want to miss work on short notice, you begin to raise eyebrows. Never use the same excuse to miss work on short notice; at least give some gap before you can reuse the excuse. In all, it is better to come up with another excuse that will suit the circumstances instead of recycling the old one.
Tiredness is not a good excuse to call out of work last minute
There is no doubt that everyone gets tired, even the strongest people, but tiredness is never a good excuse to give your boss to allow you to miss work. Imagine calling your boss and saying I’m tired and can’t come in today. It’s another way of saying you don’t want the job anymore. Instead of saying you are tired, say you are sick and can’t come in.
All in all, listen to your excuse and ask yourself if it sounds convincing. You can even share it with people around to know what they think. Also, keep your reasons simple to avoid getting confused along the way.
