Just about everyone who goes to work on a regular basis has been in a situation where he or she simply doesn’t want to go to work. However, most people drag themselves to work anyways, as there are usually repercussions for skipping out on work.

With that being said, if you are having one of those days where you do not feel that you are capable of doing a satisfactory job at work, you may decide that it would be worth it to take the day off. Unfortunately, most bosses do not want to hear that you are taking a day off work, without prior notice, for a reason as simple as the fact that you are tired. Thankfully, there are a couple different ways that you can choose to spin the truth about things and earn yourself a day off work.

When giving excuses to miss work, there are a few things that you will always want to keep in mind. For one, you should have dialogue planned out if you are giving an excuse that your boss (or other coworkers) might ask you about. For example, if you give the excuse that you have purchased an expensive object that will take the whole day to handle, such as a fridge, you should be prepared to answer any potential questions your coworkers or boss might have about your new fridge.

When making these excuses, it is crucial that you keep up appearances so that it doesn’t seem untruthful. Otherwise, your boss may not ever believe your excuses to get out of work again if you are caught making them.

Here are a few more things to remember when coming up with some of these excuses.

Things to Remember

There are a few more things that you should be prepared for when you are planning to make some of these excuses. Another example is if you choose to take the age-old excuse of feeling under the weather, your boss may mark your day off as a sick day. This is important to note if you are working at a job where you have limited sick days that you can afford. If you know that you are prone to getting sick later on in the year, then you may want to think of another excuse so that you have those sick days on hand.

When making these excuses, you should always have a kernel of truth in them. Not only will this ensure better chances that you can make someone believe it if you are asked about it, but it will also help your boss believe you when you are offering a believable reason to skip out on work for the day.

Similar to the idea of using the age-old excuse of being sick, you don’t necessarily have to go into detail about being sick. Being tired and sore can be considered sick without you having to make up an elaborate story about a terrible case of the flu. Sometimes, saying that you feel sick or under the weather is enough.

As mentioned earlier, if you are fabricating your excuse out of thin air, you should be prepared to answer any curious questions that caring coworkers may have for you. If the word spreads about why you are out of work, there will always be the chance that someone asks you what is going on.

If your reasons don’t fall in line with the excuse you gave to your boss, then there’s a good chance that your boss may not ever believe it when you ask for a day off, even if you truly need one. It will be important to have all of your bases covered when giving a good excuse to miss work.

Common Excuses to Give

The first types of excuses are the most common excuses that people use to get out of work. These excuses are often considered classics and they may not be fully believed by the more skeptical and jaded bosses out there.

However, they are almost always believable enough that (unless you have a history of lying to get out of work) your boss will still grant you the benefit of the doubt and offer you the day off. These are also some of the easiest excuses to use, making them wonderful go-tos when you simply need a day away from the office.

The first excuse is one that everyone knows well. It is the excuse that you are not feeling well, or to take it a step further, that you have a doctor’s appointment. You can’t necessarily prove that you are feeling sick, so it would be hard for a good boss to deny a day off for feeling sick. For the most part, if you are considering skipping work in the first place, then there’s a good chance that you weren’t feeling well in the first place. Do make sure that you won’t have to produce a doctor’s note beforehand though, as some workplaces have this policy in place to rule out this excuse because it is such a common one. If you don’t feel comfortable saying that you are the one who is sick, you can say that your spouse or child is sick enough that you are worried and want to stay home to care for them. Depending on company policies, you may not even have to provide a doctor’s note for a spouse or child being sick.

Another common excuse that people give is that there is a family or household emergency. This is also an area where you can get creative if you need to, as long as you remain believable. It could be that your boiler is leaking and you need emergency repairs. It could be that a family member is having an emergency that you need to tend to. If you mention that it is a family emergency, you may need to be prepared for your boss to be concerned and ask questions about it. If this happens, it is important that you remain believable. There are a plethora of house emergencies that you can consider using to take the day off work. From having a bug infestation that needs an exterminator to having appliances break, to even lying and saying that there was a small fire during breakfast, you can choose exactly what kind of excuse you want to pull. Most of these reasons are reasonable enough that your boss won’t question it.

Finally, another classic excuse to go with is that you are having trouble with your car. Cars are fickle machines that can break down without any prior notice, meaning that you may have to wait the majority of the day for a mechanic to come out, inspect the car, bring it to the shop, and make repairs. If you choose to pull this excuse, you should be prepared to know that you will likely have to make up the work later, as most bosses have heard this excuse many times before. Some employers will let you complete your work at home, others may expect you to come in later in the day to get your work done.

Solid Excuses to Give

There are some excuses that are not used as often and are usually much more solid to rely on. More often than not, these excuses are ones that your boss will believe without a problem, allowing you to use them to get the day off work.

The first excuse is one that was mentioned earlier as well. You may want to consider saying that you have an important, expensive, or time-sensitive delivery that you need to be at the door for. From getting expensive jewelry in the mail to having a new house appliance delivered, there are plenty of deliveries that could potentially keep you at home for the rest of the day. If you go down the route of saying that you are waiting on an appliance, you can also say that the appliance needs to be installed, which will take up time, further allowing you to take the day off.

Another excuse to give is to say that you are donating blood. Blood donations often leave people feeling a little bit weak and out of energy, which is not optimal for any work environment. A reasonable boss will often understand this, there’s a good chance that he or she will allow you to take the day off if you claim that you are donating blood that day. It is also an excuse that your boss has likely not heard of before, making it even better.

What Not to Do

Finally, there are a few things that you should try to avoid doing. You should try to avoid using death as an excuse, as it can severely impact the way your boss perceives you if it is found out that you are lying.

Additionally, it is easy to check obituaries to see if this is true or not. Not to mention that it is quite manipulative. Another thing that is not worth doing is being too honest and saying that you were out partying or that you are too tired to work. These are excuses that no boss wants to hear and will likely not want to give you the day off for. Always remember not to give an excuse that can easily be proven wrong as well.