Office Life

7 Best Excuses For Being Late To Work

We are all occasionally late to work, especially when we come back after a holiday or break. So when your boss sees you rush panting through the door, what is it best to say? What excuse can you offer for being late? Do not despair, and don’t talk weird stories about aliens or dogs that ate your cat!

Just search for the most reasonable and credible explanation that will help you avoid a good dressing-down and future trouble. Here are the 7 best excuses to give your boss when you’re late to work.

Excuses for Being Late in to Work

  1. There was a lot of traffic: simple, prosaic and very plausible. Anyone can run into a hold-up, caused by an accident, temporary traffic lights or something similar, so that’s one of the best excuses to give!
  2. I was feeling ill: you’re alone in the house in the morning, so you can safely tell your boss that you felt sick, or had a headache or stomach upset. It might be humiliating, but it’s quite effective.
  3. The car wouldn’t start: your car had a flat battery and you had to look for someone with jump leads to get it started. But despite all these problems, you managed to get to work. What dedication!
  4. The alarm clock didn’t go off: not a very good excuse, but it’s only happened once and it’ll never happen again. Anyone can occasionally sleep through an alarm.
  5. I couldn’t find a baby-sitter: a great excuse, but use it with caution, because you might really have trouble finding a baby-sitter at some point in the future.
  6. The bus/tube broke down: if you’re travelling by public transport, it’s definitely not your fault if there’s some sort of breakdown.
  7. There was a detour and I got lost: again, changes to your usual route are a good reason for being late.