46 Bosses Explain How to Be Late

46 Bosses Explain How to Be Late Your alarm clock never went off. Your bus broke down. Your train got delayed. You were helping an elderly person cross the road and it took longer than youd anticipated. You got deckenfries in a parade and tzu siche welches no street crossing. Your goldfish died two years ago.Listen, most of us havebeen late at least once or twice. It happens to the best of us. But theres a way to going about being late, and bombaring your babo with excuses isnt it. When you apologize for being late, insisting that you didnt intend to be late, it doesnt change the fact that you are indeed late. The person waiting for you could cares less about your reasoning and mora about the impact of your lateness, so choose your words wisely.We asked 46 bosses to share with us what they wish their employees would say if theyre running late. (Spoiler alert They all value honesty.)1. Tell the truth.I came down with something really terrible and I welches sick as a dog all morning, b ut I miraculously feel so much better.When an employee is late, I wish they could just tell me the truth, says Jason Perkins, founder and CEO of 2. Admit it in advance.Hey, sorry Im so late coming in today.It is a big no-no for me when employees are late its because I have strict adherence to schedule, its just so everything is organized in the office and we dont end up fumbling over what to do first, says Brad M. Shaw, president and CEO of Dallas Web plan Inc. I hope they can just let me know ahead of time, at least a few hours before their expected work schedule. There is leidhing wrong to be honest with telling the truth, and it is better, to be honest, than making up a story about why you are late in the first place.3. Drop the excuses.My dog ate my spreadsheets and then I hit every red light ever and couldnt find parking.I run an international IT company and, when one employee is late, everything gets disturbed its because there is a business structure to our company, which we strongly adhere to, explains Ian McClarty, president of 4. Give helpful details.Im late because it welches a crazy morning. No, I dont have anyone to cover me this morning.When an employee is running late, I like it when they give details why they are late, when they expect to arrive and what they have done to cover off any time-sensitive tasks with other staff members, adds John Kinskey, president and founder of taking advantage of my flexible style of management.5. Accept responsibility.I apologize for being late, but...This happened yesterday I hosted a town hall meeting for the entire company, and a young middle manager was late and the brde to arrive, says John Crossman, CEO of Crossman Company. This is what I wish she would have said to me John, thank you for your leadership and for the presentation today. You clearly gave it a great deal of thought and I am grateful to be on the kollektiv. I apologize for being late this morning. Totally my fault. I will be working throug h lunch and rest askoranversd that I am on top of everything.6. Stop disturbing others upon your arrival.Good morning. How was your weekend? Youll never believe my morning...Yes, youre late because you were at the light waiting for the train to pass by, says Chantay Bridges, realtor at Real Estate Professionals World Enterprise Marketing. Once you arrive, say good morning and begin your work day. This is elend the time to visit from desk to desk, cubicle to cubicle, interrupting everyone else to make sure your story is heard.7. Dont kiss up.Im sorry Im late. I brought you a coffee.Im not sure what exactly I want a late employee to say, but Ill tell you what I dont want to hear Im getting a coffee, do you want anything? says Mary Apple, CEO of Pretty Pushers, Inc. As if thats the reason why they are already 30 minutes late and as if a donut will make it all better.8. Do something about it.Im late because my alarm clock must be broken. Im sorry for the late notice.Two words be truthfu l, says Nate Masterson, absatzwirtschaft manager for Maple Holistics. Mark Twain said that a man who always tells the truth doesnt need to remember what he said. And this applies here for sure. No need to conjure a story or cook up a tale. Be honest, or at least dont outright lie. The truth has a way of catching up.Second, do whatever you can to let the boss know in advance. It is not okay that he or she should need to ask Hey, wheres Jim? Make sure they know when you are running late. With modern technology, it literally takes seconds, and it makes a big difference.Third, if you do it frequently enough, expect something to be done about it. Its not called super happy fun time. Its called work. And you need to show up without making excuses or giving reasons, however adequate. First simply admit to the fact that you are late and, if asked, provide the appropriate responses. There are exceptions to every rule.9. Apologize.Im late, but its not my fault...I have a few clients and emplo yees that have done this to me, says Melvin Marsh, certified hypnotherapist with After Hours Hypnotherapy. Im happy with a quick apology and the truth. If your toddler had a potty accident which threw your day off because you had to change clothing before you dropped him/her off to preschool, thats fine. If something happened with your alarm, thats also fine. I dont even care if you are late because you had a hangover. Its only if you are chronically latethat it becomes an issue.10. Help to plan accordingly.Sorry, Im not sure what to tell you.Let me know once you know you are late so I can plan accordingly and tell me why, says Brad Schweig, vice president of operations at Sunnyland Patio Furniture. Life happens to everyone and, as long as its not frequent, its okay to have a lame excuse why you are late.11. Be honest, even if youre just hungover.Im just really sick with a headache, and I cant stop vomiting. It might be contagious.I wish they were just honest says Karla Jobling, MD of BeecherMadde. It does happen sometimes, even to me. There are always things outside our control. But if they are hungover or have overslept, I actually really appreciate that they tell me that, rather than making something up. Obviously there is a limit as to how often that excuse is acceptable, and I realize this wouldnt work everywhere. I value their honesty so highly that, for a one-off issue, I am willing to let this go.12. Send over important documents.Im going to be late but I left all my stuff at the office, or Id get it over to you.Email and text everyone, the following a) apologize, b) let people know when/if they will arrive, c) let people know if the meeting should proceed without them or they need to be involved, d) emaille any documents that will be useful, helpful for the meeting, Marc Prosser, co-founder of FitSmallBusiness.com.13. Share what you learned.Im late because the dog got out of his leash.Running late happens thats for sure, admits Steve Hammer, president of RankHammer. What I want to hear is what you learned. Lets say the dog got away and thats why youre late. I want to hear that youre going to buy a new leash that fits better. I never mind paying for life lessons, but I dont want to have to pay for the same class over and over.14. Make up for lost time.Im running super late, so I might just take the day off if thats cool.When one of my employees is running late I wish they would say, Im sorry, but Im running late. I should have left sooner to make sure I made it there on time. Im willing to work late or make up the time whenever you think is best, and I will get there as fast as I can. says Daren Dilts, a pastor of a church with a staff. In that statement, there is an apology, acknowledgement of not planning ahead and a willingness to give the lost time back.15. Give your boss FOMO.I definitely didnt go out last night.What I want to hear from my employees is the straight honest truth something like I am sorry chief. I stayed late in the club. I went out for a couple of drinks, but it was super fun and I lost track of the time. I wish you could be there you would have enjoyed the party too... That last part is what wins the argument, jokes Daniel Thompson, head of absatzwirtschaft at Toms Junk Collectors. My employees are members of the marketing team there is nothing stopping us to do our job if one person is late. If the work of the team, however, depended on that person being on point, I would haveexpected a formal sorry to the whole team.I dont want excuses we are just humans things happen alarms go silent people get sick and so on... Just tell me what is the issue, smile and go to your workstation.16. Stop wasting mora time.Let me tell you the story of what happened to me this morning...Long explanations and apologies just waste more time all we need to know is when the employee can safely make it into work so that we can make accommodations for our customers, says Terese Kerrigan, director of marketin g communications for FreightCenter, Inc.17. Give an accurate ETA.Im going to be there in a few minutes, I promise.Were all late sometimes, but the most important thing is to set an accurate expectation says CEO at ShipMonk, Jan Bednar. If you call and tell me that youre running late and youll be at the office in 20 minutes, thats fine. But if you tell me youll be here in 20 minutes and youre actually here in an hour, thats a different story. In the latter case, youve failed to meet expectations twice.18. Communicate for coverage.Sorry, I forgot to get someone to cover.Unless an excuse is genuine, dont make an excuse, says Emily Clifford, a member of the marketing department at Fueled, who polled her bosses. Over time, employees who make up excuses tend to do it again and it doest go unnoticed. If running late, make sure to communicate with your team to make sure work and meetings are covered. Be proactive and set a plan on how to catch up on work and meetings missed.19. Prove that i t wont be an ongoing issue.Its just that my kids have to get to school and their schedules conflict with my hours...Ideally, whats best is to come in late, apologize and then make up the time on the backend or show the manager that this isnt an ongoing issue by coming in on time regularly so that, when you are late, it really isnt a big deal, explains Tiffani Murray, HR career consultant. I think, for many managers, its the excuses that get old and annoying, especially when the manager offers advice or flexibility with the schedule and then the employee still cant seem to get it together. Timeliness is not everything. Many managers will overlook this if someone has impeccable work and always gets the job done.20. Dont lie because you feel ashamed.Im late becauseof *some crazy lie.*Theres only one thing that Id like from employees when theyre running late Honesty, says Matthew Kerr, hiring manager and career expert at Regardless of what it may be, Id rather employees just told me t he truth even if they overslept because they had a bit too much to drink when catching up with their friends. Its fine it happens. I understand that people have their own lives outside of the workplace and that, every once in awhile, that may cause them to be late.21. Communicate.Sorry Im so late what time is it anyway?My employees are usually on a flexible schedule and they can come into work whenever they want its just that I do not like it when they cannot tell me in advance that they cannot come to work, says Joanna Douglas, owner of Clean Affinity. Its hard for a business owner because, when you need staff due to the high volume of customers, its like you lost your hands. You do not have enough workers to work for you and, at the same time, you also lose money. I do not mind if they have to go on a break for a while or they have to fix a personal emergency, but the least they can do is let me know.22. Take initiative.I overslept.It all depends on context if, for instance, th e weather made the roads extremely dangerous, then were just happy you made it in safely and in one piece, explains Brian Gow, president of . But if theyre late from being disorganized or oversleeping, then theres little one can say. We dont want to hear excuses or apologies. Instead, we want to see you make up for it. Work through lunch or stay late, and take the initiative to do it yourself dont wait for me to tell you to do it. That shows that it was just a fluke and wont be a regular thing.23. Quit justifying and just get to work.Im so sorry, let me explain...When you arrive, let me know youre there and get to work, says Laura MacLeod, HR expert and consultant. Apologies are always appreciated but a long-winded explanation and/or excuse is not. Saying, I tried to get out of the house but my son wouldnt eat his breakfast and the babysitter cancelled at the last minute, so I took him to the neighbor... is unnecessary and feels like youre justifying yourself. Just get to work.24. T ell a good story.Im just late.Etiquette for coming in late Tell me a good story, says Robert Barrows of R.M. Barrows, Inc. Advertising Public Relations. I once worked for a company where, if you came in late, the boss wanted to hear a good story. Dont just tell him you were stuck in traffic. Dont just tell him your alarm clock didnt go off. Tell him a good story about what you did last night and be sure to include all the vivid details.25. Ask for help.Its fine, it totally wont happen again.The best thing I can hear when someone is late is to ask for help, says Dayne Shuda of Ghost Blog Writers. Most bosses want to help employees become better at their jobs. Its the boss job to help the employee do their best work. If there is an issue with running late, lets fix it.26. Make a plan for the future.No need to worry about a next time.If someone is running late, there are three pieces of information they need to relay 1) when they anticipate arriving, 2) an acknowledgment of their erro r and 3) their plan to prevent tardiness in the future, says Robby Slaughter, principal at AccelaWork.The first needs to occur in advance. Once you know you are going to be late, update your estimate. After you arrive, apologize and explain what you will do next time instead of giving your excuse27. Send a quick ping.Oh wow, I didnt even realize how late I am, sorryHonesty is the best policy when an employee is running late ping your employer with an email that says why youre running late and when you can be expected to arrive to work, says Dana Case, director of operations at In the last 30 years of being a manager, I have heard all the excuses and even used some myself like, Oh, sorry, my car wont start. (Why? Because Im not in it.), says Kirk Herzog, office manager of Expert Plumbing Rooter, Inc. The best thing I wish is to get a truthful, Im sorry and I will try to be better. That would mean the world to me.29. Dont waste your energy by getting worked up over it.Im soooo sor ry. Everything that could ever go bad went bad this morning. Im so stressed out.Running late puts massive stress on your shoulders, says Olga Mykhoparkina, CMO at Chanty. Luckily, our teams schedule at work is quite flexible. If you are 20 minutes late, theres no reason to get upset and waste your energy trying to come up with an excuse. All you do is stay 20 minutes after work. Its that simple. After all, we are not into air traffic control. Its much more productive to channel the energy into work rather than making up stories.29. Dont exploit your employers trust.I didnt mean to be late again.All I ask of my employees when they are late is that they be honest, adds Steve Pritchard, founder of 30. Recognize the impact of your tardiness.Whoops, my bad. The team should be fine though, right?Late to a party, fashionable late to work, and welcome to your managers doghouse, warns Patrick Colvin, strategic HR business partner at USA Today Network. While it may not be intentional, tardine ss can have a domino effect leading to communication breakdowns, missed deadlines or lost clients. As a manager, I would like to see my employees recognize and understand the impact of their lateness. Inquiring about things possibly missed and apologizing verbally or in an email goes a long way. It never hurts to just say sorry. Being late is something that happens to all of us at one point or another so simply owning up to it is a professional move.Finally, a manager always hopes that employees would just be honest and make it clear that it isnt going to become a habit. Honesty and integrity is what every manager wants in an employee. When you lie, you end up breaking that trust and there no putting the toothpaste back in the tube after that.31. Apologize to your coworkers.You guys are good, right?Instead of assuming that your coworkers have it all under control, apologize for your tardiness. Let them know that you recognize how you being late may have affected them. Its respectful and the least you can do.32. Set an earlier alarm.I didnt have enough time in the morning.If youre running late because you didnt wake up in time, take action. Set an earlier alarm. Give yourself more time in the mornings so it doesnt happen again.33. Prepare your lunch the night before.My morning was hectic and I was busy preparing lunches.If you need more time to prep your lunch or your kids lunches, do it the night before. Theres no excuse for something that you could have done well in advance.34. Have an easier breakfast.My breakfast took forever.If youre running late, dont make a big breakfast. Grab a to-go meal or pop something in the microwave that wont take as long to cook and eat. Or just give yourself more time in the morning so that you can eat a big breakfast.35. Check your gas tank before you have to hit the road.I ran out of gas.Always check your gas tank the night before, perhaps when youre coming home from work. This way you wont wake up to be surprised with an empt y tank when you have no time to fill it up.36. Check the weather in the morning.I didnt realize it was going to storm and had to go back for my umbrella and coat.Check the weather the night before. Check it again in the morning. You might even want to keep an umbrella handy at your desk or in your car just in case.37. Check for traffic.I had no idea traffic would be so bad.Always look out for traffic if you drive to work. Listen for it on the radio. Check you GPS app. Look for the best route possible so that you can do your best to avoid traffic.38. Get to bed earlier.I was up all night.If youre going to be late every night and its making you too tired to get up on time in the morning, get to bed earlier. You have to change up your sleep cycle.39. Live a healthier lifestyle.Im so sick, so Im running a little slow this morning.Are you getting sick all the time because youre going to bed late, eating unhealthy foods, not getting your exercise or something else you might be doing to yo urself? As an adult, take control of your health and live a healthier lifestyle. Of course, its inevitable that youll still get sick, or be affected by allergies, but you can still do your best.40. Dont wait to tell your boss youre late until after youre late.So sorry Im here so late today.Dont walk into the office to tell your boss youre late only after youre late. Always tell them in advance if you can.41. Dont wait to tell your team youre late until after youre late.So sorry Im running behind today. I got to the office really late.Likewise, dont wait until you get to your team meeting to tell your team why youre totally unprepared for it. Do what you can to let them know in advance.42. Dont expect your boss to inform your team for you.Youll tell the team for me?Dont expect your boss to relay to your team that youre not going to make the morning meeting. Its your obligation to tell everyone who is counting on you.43. Dont expect your team to inform your boss for you.Youll tell the boss for me?Likewise, dont expect your team to tell your boss that youre running late for you. Its your obligation as a professional to own up to it yourself.44. Dont ask someone to lie for you.Can you just tell them that I was there but ran out for coffee quick or Im in the bathroom? Ill be there in a few minutesNever drag another coworker into your mess. If youre running late, dont lie. And especially dont ask someone else to lie for you.45. Dont give up altogether.I guess its not worth it to come in at this point.If youre running behind, do your best with the time you have once you make it into the office. Try to make up for the lost time. Whatever you do, dont give up on the day entirely. Show that youre putting in the effort.46. Dont ccome running in all frazzled.Im a mess. Youll never believe this story...When you get to the office, get straight to work. Dont make a fuss. Dont bug other coworkers who are working about what happened to you. Dont start complaining. Use your tim e wisely, take a breath and get to work.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solo travel. Shes an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.