Every now and then, the morning just doesn’t go right and you wind up running late for work. Being late to work is the subject of the first in a new series of videos produced by CalChamber called “Capitol Coffee Break.” The videos in this series will put a humorous twist on subjects that are important to California employers.
Recently, a survey from CareerBuilder dealt with the subject of employees being late to work. They found that more than 23 percent of respondents admitted they are late to work at least once a month and 14 percent say it’s a weekly occurrence for them. The survey reported of the workers who admitted to being late for work in the past, 30 percent said they fibbed about the reason for their tardiness. Maybe they lied because the repercussions of lateness could be serious: 41 percent of employers who participated in the survey said they have actually fired an employee for being late.
Traffic is the most common cause of tardiness among employees (50 percent), followed by lack of sleep (30 percent) and bad weather (26 percent). Trying to get the kids to school or daycare is a roadblock for 1 in 10 workers (12 percent), while public transportation and wardrobe issues get in the way of being on time for 7 percent and 6 percent of workers, respectively.
Capitol Coffee Break Video
On the heels of the CareerBuilder survey, CalChamber took its camera to the street and asked people around the state Capitol, “what’s the craziest excuse you’ve ever heard for someone being late to work?” Some of the responses included:
- I was locked in my garage.
- Wardrobe malfunction.
- Out partying and/or hung over.
- Dog ate my tire.
- Couldn’t find socks.
Enjoy the whimsical clip and look for any famous Capitol faces. Share the craziest excuse you’ve ever heard with @CalChamber with the hashtag #CapitolCoffeeBreak.
More Information
Absenteeism and tardiness are among the most frequent and difficult employee behaviors to discipline. CalChamber members can get more details on dealing with these issues from the HR Library’s Absenteeism and Tardiness page on HRCalifornia.
