--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Weird Excuses for Being Late" id: "41924" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-weird-excuses-for-being-late" published_at: "2018-03-22T20:06:38+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T21:35:15+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/03/22/thursday-buzz-weird-excuses-for-being-late/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/03/22/thursday-buzz-weird-excuses-for-being-late.md" excerpt: "A new survey from CareerBuilder reports on some of the wildest excuses people use for being tardy to work. Also: American Associations Day 2018 is going strong in DC." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "employee trust" - "lateness" - "Workplace" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Weird Excuses for Being Late Here’s a fun question: What’s the wildest excuse you’ve ever given for being late to work? A recent [survey from CareerBuilder (opens in a new tab)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/this-years-most-bizarre-excuses-for-being-late-to-work-according-to-new-careerbuilder-survey-300615920.html) , reports that nearly 25 percent of those surveyed admitted to being late to work at least once a month. People in the West are more likely to be late than any other region in the country—30 percent of workers in the West are tardy for work at least once a month, while only 23 percent of Midwesterners report the same behavior. Some of the reasons people come up with for their lateness are total doozies. Hiring and HR managers reported hearing excuses like “I was here, but I fell asleep in the parking lot,” or it was simply too cold to work. Coffee that was too hot was to blame for keeping one individual away from the office, and another accused their dog of eating their work schedule—an adult twist on a classic excuse. Even though we all run late from time-to-time, 60 percent of employers expect people to arrive promptly every morning. Those employers may take some solace in the fact that 65 percent of late workers will stay later to make up for it. ### American Associations Day > Every State. Every Industry. Every Day. Associations Strengthen America. [#PowerofA (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/PowerofA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#ASAE (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASAE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/kBdo78jIDQ (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/kBdo78jIDQ) > > — The Power of Associations (@Power_of_A) [March 22, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Power_of_A/status/976813249634152450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **American Associations Day 2018 kicked off yesterday** and continues today as association professionals flew into DC and [headed to Capitol Hill (opens in a new tab)](https://www.thepowerofa.org/hillvisit) . Participants intend to meet with members of Congress to educate them on the positive impact association meetings have on the economy and to discuss association-related tax issues. ASAE used a tool called Thunderclap to help [amplify its message on social media](https://associationsnow.com/2018/03/give-members-a-voice-with-crowdspeaking-platforms/) . Follow [#AssociationsStrengthenAmerica (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AssociationsStrengthenAmerica?src=hash) to see highlights. ### Other Links of Note **Social media engagement is struggling across the board.** *CMSWire* shares a [few ways to improve it (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/5-ways-marketers-can-improve-engagement-in-social-media/) . **Are you tracking session attendance at your meetings?** Here [are five reasons why you should (opens in a new tab)](https://www.commpartners.com/5-reasons-to-track-session-attendance-at-your-event/) from CommPartners. **Nonprofit workers are a committed, passionate bunch.** Is it possible to work yourself to death? *Quartz* [takes a look into the issue (opens in a new tab)](https://work.qz.com/1234384/can-you-work-yourself-to-death/) . “The dog ate my work schedule!” (JStaley401/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#employee trust](https://associationsnow.com/tag/employee-trust/) [#lateness](https://associationsnow.com/tag/lateness/) [#Workplace](https://associationsnow.com/tag/workplace/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F03%2F22%2Fthursday-buzz-weird-excuses-for-being-late%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !