Excuses for being late

[Orang Utan]

On a more practical note is there anything you could do to shorten your journey time like seeing if you can get an electric bike through the LA's Cycle to work scheme?

I need to ride a proper bike for fitness and mental health. Am quite inflexible on that matter and they should make allowances as they make a big deal about being pro-cycling and ‘wellbeing’

 

[Orang Utan]

IBS. Got someone at work who suffers from it and they get a lot of grace.

Totally. I’m not going to fabulate a health condition when I’ve already got one for real.

 

[Orang Utan]

I'm sorry to hear that mate and that you've been through process twice already. The stress of that can make you even more manic and stressed. Worrying about being late wont help your mind set.

Ta fella, I may demand an independent one as my OH department are so useless.
My first WCA was cut and pasted from someone else’s and they didn’t even bother to change the person’s name - a massive fail of professionalism and an egregious data breach - so it’s been a shit process so far

 

[TopCat]

I have staff who have to be on time due to their role. I build in fifteen mins to allow for reasonable lateness. People who don’t show up on time will have to come up for a chat. See what support can be offered.

One person was late all the time as they are a dysfunctional alcoholic. They fessed up to this, got rehab and are back in the role and generally on time.

Staff who just can’t be arsed to turn up on time get disciplined but rarely sacked.

 

[scifisam]

Real reasons I've been late:

My grandad lost his wooden leg
My dog locked my daughter out of the house
My flatmate accidentally locked us into the house
I fell in the gap between the train and the platform
A nearby building was bombed

(I think I'm forgetting quite a few actually).

 

[SpookyFrank]

If I'm going to be late I have to let management know by 7:30 am at the latest so they can cover me. That's pretty much the exact time I leave the house to go to work.

 

[Orang Utan]

No. Because nobody really can't help it. ETA: Not being glib, and I know 'time blindness' can be a symptom of ADHD, but if you're making the same journey every day, yet always late, there's things you can do. And you've already said that you can be punctual; as you did it other jobs.

I’m not always late. Just sometimes.
I guess my job just needs to be a better one, so I’m more motivated to be punctual. I dunno though. Why can’t they just accept that I may be late sometimes and when I am I can be useful after work and get a load of stuff done that other people find boring and that won’t be interrupted by customers.

 

[AnnaKarpik]

I dunno, if somone's persistently late I generally just adjust my own timings by the appropriate amount

Working in a pub, we had a woman come in at 12.00 expecting to meet her friends for a midweek lunch. The table was booked for 13.00 but she'd been told to get there for 12 because she was usually so late. She was so put out that she had made an effort to be on time and was kept waiting, her friends were weeping with laughter.

 

[redsquirrel]

I’ve run out so am experimenting with total honesty.
I think ‘because it’s January’ is an acceptable excuse for being late for work. ‘Because it’s January’ and ‘because of who I am as a person’ are perfectly reasonable reasons IMO
Also acceptable: ‘because I didn’t want to get out of bed’
I’m getting inga bit tired of feeling obliged to make up a different excuse sometimes I’m late and endeavour to be honest from now on. I once had to invent a ‘bad traffic’ story cos I’d been distracted by the entrancing sight of a massive mushroom in the woods.
No more!

However, I’d be interested in reading excuses you’ve heard or made up for being late as well as suggestions for reasonable excuses should my honesty policy backfire on me.

Being late without a good reason could be a disciplinary offence so you need to be careful.
That said if you don't have a good excuse then sometimes the best thing is simply to be honest and apologise.

You've talked about your health assessment before, hopefully that will get you some adjustments.
Another thing you could bring up is your responsibility as a carer - could you get your hours adjusted to so that they work better with any caring duties?

That said if you are contacted to work certain hours then frankly I think you're going on be a serious back foot.

 

[Orang Utan]

I don’t have any caring duties though. I used to help care for my mum but she’s been gone nearly six years.

 

[redsquirrel]

I don’t have any caring duties though. I used to help care for my mum but she’s been gone nearly six years.

Sorry I thought you looked after your dad

 

[Orang Utan]

Sorry I thought you looked after your dad

Not yet! He’s 80 but fighting fit

 

[redsquirrel]

Even if you don't have a formal caring role it you are living with him it might be worth seeing if you can get your hours/shifts moved to something that would suit you both more.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

I’m not always late. Just sometimes.
I guess my job just needs to be a better one, so I’m more motivated to be punctual. I dunno though. Why can’t they just accept that I may be late sometimes and when I am I can be useful after work and get a load of stuff done that other people find boring and that won’t be interrupted by customers.

Because you have to be there to open up?

 

[Orang Utan]

Because you have to be there to open up?

I have a team of colleagues who are all morning folk who all start fifteen minutes before we open though. So no one’s waiting for me to turn up with a key. Thank fuck. Cos I’d only lose it or leave it at another workplace!

 

[dessiato]

Why not just adjust your morning routine? Get up earlier? Get organised better? It might be more difficult for you, but it is doable, if you want to.

 

[Orang Utan]

Why not just adjust your morning routine? Get up earlier? Get organised better? It might be more difficult for you, but it is doable, if you want to.

"Why don't you just not have ADHD?"

Wanker

 

[Miss-Shelf]

there are people on this thread who find it super easy to be on time always and you're being really judgemental about the late people who find it really hard to be on time

I can be on time, of course I can, but it is a massive effort and if there is a lot of other stressful things going on in my life it really impacts my ability to be on time
so if I've used up all my effort on one event it's really difficult to do it for all the other things as well

 

[friedaweed]

Wanker

Bit harsh our kid.

Not everyone understands ADHD and time and not everyone is as understanding of lateness as we would hope. For me they should call lateness 'lifeness' as there's usually a genuine reason and maybe we're all too chained to the clock in our slavedom for work. We're supposed to be working towards a better work life balance in our society so I'm sure the could be someone in the local authority that is worth seeking out. I imagine on average you're talking around the 15 minute mark not hours late. If you're not the one turning the key to let Mrs Miggins in to choose her next M&B novel then you should have scope for reasonable adjustment especially if you're prepared to do your full shift.

I get your dilemma and it is stressful which doesn't help the cause of your occasional lateness but the key to getting some leeway is not getting angry with them but subtly putting them on the back foot on a disability front. Is there anyone in adult MH services you could have a word with or some sort of MH champion in the local authority? They'll shit a brick if you get them involved.

 

[moomoo]

I have a 4 minute commute to work. I literally have NO excuse to ever be late.

 

[Orang Utan]

Bit harsh our kid.

Not harsh at all when a absolute weapon comes on here specifically to have a pop. wanker is a nice way of putting it

 

[dessiato]

"Why don't you just not have ADHD?"

Wanker

I've taught people, and kids with ADHD They could keep time. If 14 year old can organise themselves to be on time, why can't you, an adult, also organise yourself?

Cunt

 

[Orang Utan]

I've taught people, and kids. They could keep time. If 14 year old can organise themselves to be on time, why can't you, an adult, also organise yourself?

Cunt

Liar, i'm sure you've taught people who cannot keep time too, so wind your neck in right now,

 

[Athos]

Liar, i'm sure you've taught people who cannot keep time too, so wind your neck in right now,

I think you're being a bit harsh, given you've already admitted that, when you want to, you can keep time.

 

[dessiato]

Liar, i'm sure you've taught people who cannot keep time too, so wind your neck in right now,

Do fuck off you tiresome piece of shit. Just because I won't bow down to your over inflated ego.

I've, as I said, taught a lot of people. Some who were diagnosed as ADHD. They, with difficulty admittedly, could sort themselves out.

Stop using your ADHD as an excuse for not trying to help yourself.

 

[Orang Utan]

I think you're being a bit harsh, given you've already admitted that, when you want to, you can keep time.

I can when i'm sufficiently motivated, but as Miss-Shelf pointed out, it comes with a price of constant stress, anxiety, depression and self-loathing.
I'm not masking that shit anymore as I want to live longer. I've twisted myself into psychic torment just to fit in with normie and I would rather avoid going back to a life of permastress. Hence my requests for lenience when it comes to punctuality and sick days. It's time for my employers to be flexible for me.

 

[dessiato]

I’m not always late. Just sometimes.
I guess my job just needs to be a better one, so I’m more motivated to be punctual. I dunno though. Why can’t they just accept that I may be late sometimes and when I am I can be useful after work and get a load of stuff done that other people find boring and that won’t be interrupted by customers.

If you can do it sometimes, you can do it others.

 

[redsquirrel]

Do fuck off you tiresome piece of shit. Just because I won't bow down to your over inflated ego.

I've, as I said, taught a lot of people. Some who were diagnosed as ADHD. They, with difficulty admittedly, could sort themselves out.

Stop using your ADHD as an excuse for not trying to help yourself.

Don't think this is helpful on a thread in the employment forum.

 

[Orang Utan]

Do fuck off you tiresome piece of shit. Just because I won't bow down to your over inflated ego.

I've, as I said, taught a lot of people. Some who were diagnosed as ADHD. They, with difficulty admittedly, could sort themselves out.

Stop using your ADHD as an excuse for not trying to help yourself.

Quoted so you can't walk that nasty shit back,

 

[dessiato]

I can when i'm sufficiently motivated, but as Miss-Shelf pointed out, it comes with a price of constant stress, anxiety, depression and self-loathing.
I'm not masking that shit anymore as I want to live longer. I've twisted myself into psychic torment just to fit in with normie and I would rather avoid going back to a life of permastress. Hence my requests for lenience when it comes to punctuality and sick days. It's time for my employers to be flexible for me.

Why cant you be flexible for them too?