Best Excuses To Miss Work On Short Notice (w/samples)
We conducted legitimate excuses why an employee may need to leave work early, on short notice, or miss work that you can use with our templates and be accepted. Below are some examples of the most reasonable reasons to take time off without prior planning:
Family and medical emergency
If it is a family emergency, crisis, or natural disaster, such as a death in the family that requires your immediate absence from work. Also, a sudden medical emergency happens to a family member and requires your immediate attention. For example, "I just received news that my grandfather has been hospitalized, and I need to leave work to be with him." or "My spouse has come down with a sudden illness and needs my attention. I will need to miss work to take care of them."
Childcare issues
If you have a child who is sick or needs to be picked up early from school or daycare due to some unexpected matters, you may need to leave on short notice to attend to their needs. For example, "My child has fallen ill and requires my immediate attention." or, "My child's school is closed due to stormy weather and I can not find any other solution but to stay home to take care of them."
Personal or mental health concerns
In case you are experiencing a personal or mental health issue that requires your attention to leave work early, such as a panic attack, depression, or anxiety.
- "I had a painful migraine this morning that I could not go to work."
- "I woke up this morning feeling extremely anxious and could not control my feeling. I am afraid I will make my colleagues worry if I go to the office. I need to take time off today to prioritize my mental health and calm down."
- "I have been experiencing severe anxiety symptoms and need to take a mental health day to focus on my well-being."
Car trouble or transportation issues
If you experience car trouble, such as unexpected technical problems or public transportation issues that prevent you from arriving to work on time. Remember that it can be a good excuse to be late but not for missing work. The only chance you can use this excuse is unless you live far away from work. For example, "Unfortunately, my car won't start this morning, and I am unable to get it fixed until later today. I will be late to work as a result."
Illness
If you wake up feeling unwell and are unable to come to work, or the sickness may be contagious to your coworkers, you can send a work excuse letter. For example, "I have been experiencing severe allergy symptoms and need to see the doctor today to get the medicine prescription." or "I have been experiencing severe back pain and need to see a chiropractor urgently. I will need to miss work today."
Jury duty
You may miss work If you are called for jury duty, and it is your civic duty to attend. Your employer must allow you the necessary time off to fulfill your obligation. For example, "I have been summoned for jury duty and will need to take time off work to fulfill my obligation."
Military service
If you are in the military reserves or National Guard and are called to active duty, you must fulfill your obligation. Your employer must allow you the necessary time off. In this case, you may need a military leave of absence request letter instead. For example, "I have been called to active duty with the National Guard and need to take time off work to fulfill my obligation."
Home Emergency
If you experience a home issue, such as a broken pipe that floods water, a fire, a gas leak, a home invasion, a damaged entrance door, broken window glass, etc., that may harm house safety and security, it may be necessary to take time off work. For example, My basement flooded overnight due to a burst pipe, and I need to take care of the situation. I will need to miss work today.
Unforeseen Circumstances
Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances may arise that prevent you from being able to attend work, such as a power outage, internet connection issue, typhoon/storm, etc. In these cases, it's important to communicate with your employer as soon as possible and make the necessary arrangements. For example, "There is a major power outage in my area, and I am unable to work from home due to internet connection issues. I will need to miss work today."
Pet Emergency
If your pet is sick or needs urgent medical attention, you may need to take time off work to care for them. For example, "My dog ate something toxic and needed immediate medical attention. I will need to take time off work to take care of him." or "My pet ran away, and I need to go search for him."
Important Note
It's important to maintain professionalism and communicate with your employer about your absence. While a quick message to your boss might be enough, submitting a formal letter is highly recommended. This shows your commitment and transparency to your job, which helps maintain a positive work relationship with your employer.
Work Excuse Letter Templates To Customize
At templatesgo.com, you can easily create a good work excuse letter with our customizable templates in just a few clicks. Here how it's work:
- Select the work excuse letter template you need.
- Input your information by answering our quick questions.
- Review and download your letter to send.
Standard Excuse letter for work
Excuse Letter For Being Absent In Work
Other Customized Templates
With our standard work excuse letter template, you can customize it with your reason. We've also got some quick templates for the most common reasons to help you create this excuse letter absent faster. Check them out 🔗here and pick what works best for you. Let's make this process easy and stress-free together!
- Excuse Letter For Work Due To Sickness
- Excuse Letter For Work Due To Family Matter
- Excuse Letter For Work Due To Car Issue
- Excuse letter for being absent from work due to an important matter
- Excuse Letter for Being Absent Due to Typhoon
- Excuse Letter For Arriving Late To Work
Related Post
If you are planning to request time off for some reasons with prior notice, you can create a🔗 leave of absence letter instead. We also have 🔗vacation request letter customizable templates you may need.
Hilarious excuses To Miss Work Or Arrive late
Missing work or arriving late due to unexpected issues can be sensitive. However, you might be in a humorous situation that may not be the best excuse to miss work. And some employers are skeptical that they may not accept these excuses. Then, make sure you keep or request any evidence to deliver to your boss later. Here are some funny situations that happen somehow in life:
- "I can't come in today because my cat is giving birth to kittens."
- "I accidentally locked myself in the bathroom and can't get out. I do not have my phone with me.
- "I accidentally glued my hand to my desk and needed to go to the hospital to remove it."
Furthermore, we found this article 🔗129 funny excuses at work from boredpanda.com that can actually make you laugh harder.
Bad Excuses You should avoid
On the contrary, there are also some bad excuses you should avoid when informing your boss about a necessary absence from work. While some excuses may be true, they may not be appropriate to share with your boss. Then, you could consider giving other excuses to be accepted by your employer. Some examples of the worst excuses to avoid include:
- "I forgot to wear shoes today, and it's against the dress code."
- "I can't come in today because I'm dealing with a midlife crisis."
- "I need a mental health day to recharge my batteries."
- "I had a few drinks last night and was hungover."
- "I feel tired to go to work today."
Remember that honesty is always the best approach when communicating with your employer, and providing a legitimate reason for absence is important to maintain professionalism and respect in the workplace. With our article, you can easily and quickly create a sincere excuse letter absent to 🔗apologize to your boss.
