Getting ready for work may take a few minutes for some or a few hours for others. No matter how long it takes you to head out the door, there may be some days when it seems as though the clock's against you. According to a new CareerBuilder study, 26 percent of workers admit to being tardy at least once a month, and 16 percent are late once a week or more.
More than 2,600 hiring managers and more than 3,900 workers nationwide were surveyed to find out what's delaying workers from starting on time, what causes them to run late and the consequences of delayed arrivals.
"Employers understand that every now and again circumstances will arise that are out of a worker's control and, unfortunately, cause a late arrival to work," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "It escalates to a problem when the behavior becomes repetitive, causing employers to take disciplinary action. More than one-third of hiring managers reported they had to fire someone for being late."
Excuses, excuses
Hiring managers shared some of the most memorable excuses they've heard from employees who were late getting to the office. While 31 percent of workers pointed to traffic as the most common cause for tardiness, some answers were more memorable than a bad commute:
More than 2,600 hiring managers and more than 3,900 workers nationwide were surveyed to find out what's delaying workers from starting on time, what causes them to run late and the consequences of delayed arrivals.
"Employers understand that every now and again circumstances will arise that are out of a worker's control and, unfortunately, cause a late arrival to work," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "It escalates to a problem when the behavior becomes repetitive, causing employers to take disciplinary action. More than one-third of hiring managers reported they had to fire someone for being late."
Excuses, excuses
Hiring managers shared some of the most memorable excuses they've heard from employees who were late getting to the office. While 31 percent of workers pointed to traffic as the most common cause for tardiness, some answers were more memorable than a bad commute:
- Employee dropped her purse into a coin-operated newspaper box and couldn't retrieve it without change -- which was in the purse.
- Employee accidentally left the apartment with his roommate's girlfriend's shoes on and had to go back to change.
- Employee's angry wife had frozen his truck keys in a glass of water in the freezer.
- Employee got a late start because she was putting a raincoat on her concrete duck in her front yard, because rain was expected later that day.
- Employee's car wouldn't start because the device measuring blood-alcohol level showed he was intoxicated.
- Employee attempted to cut his own hair before work and the clippers stopped working, so he had to wait until the barber shop opened to fix his hair.
- Employee's car was attacked by a bear. (Employee had photographic evidence.)
- Employee drove to her previous employer by mistake.
- Employee claimed to have delivered a stranger's baby on the side of the highway.
