Believable Excuses for Calling Out of Work

There are days when you just don’t want to go to work and you need to take a “sick day”. However, taking time off can be a little tricky if you don’t know what to say to convince your boss. Some of the most popular excuses to miss work for a day are health-related. While these classic excuses are sometimes believable, you can’t use the same reason over and over again.

Below is the list of some of the best excuses for missing work, so choose the one that sounds just right in your working place!

Food Poisoning

This might be the perfect excuse to miss a day of work. Faking a food poisoning is easy and believable – it’s a great excuse that works anytime. If you want to make sure that your boss believes your fake food poisoning, you should take some extra time to prepare. Tell everyone that you are going to try a new dish. so it won’t be such a surprise that you get a food poisoning the next day. Then call your boss and tell that you have a food poisoning and are in no condition to come to work today.

You Have the Flu

Every one of us can use a break and the “flu card” could definitely come in handy when you want to miss work for a day or two. Call your boss and tell him or her that you need to stay in bed because you are too ill. Pretend to feel miserable and make sure to apologize for the inconvenience. Keep the call short – your boss doesn’t need to know all the details, and don’t resort to fake coughing or sneezing.

Car Trouble

Car trouble is always a good excuse to get out of work, even though it offers some potential karma blow-back. This excuse has the most variations – flat tires, fluid leaks, or a broken belt are some of the most effective excuses. However, keep in mind that your boss may ask how you solved the problem or request evidence of the repair. If your boss is suspicious and asks you questions, just tell him or her that your friend is a mechanic and he did it for free.

Your Child is Sick

If you have children, then this it the perfect excuse you can use when you want to take a day off. Tell your boss that you need to stay home and take care of your sick child. Obviously, this is an excuse that works every time, although it really depends on the company rules. Your boss can question whether you were really sick or not, bit it is considered impolite to question the validity of a sick child claim.

Personal Reasons

If you are not comfortable with lying your boss, you can tell him or her that you need some time off for personal reasons. Call your boss and tell that something personal came up and you can’t really talk about it. Tell him or her that you can’t make it to work today and express your apologies, but tell that you should be back at work tomorrow. This excuse will probably work at many workplaces, just make sure that you don’t use it too often, or you’ll get caught in a lie.