Things may come up that would require a person to either leave work early or come in late because, employees are human beings too and are not in absolute control of their circumstances.
If you need to leave work early and you come up with a legitimate excuse, a rational boss should be able to excuse you.
It’s pretty usual for an employee to have situations come up that will prompt them leaving work early. However, there are couple of factors that can make getting the manager’s nod harder than usual. Some of those factors include:
The company’s culture: Some companies adjudge efficiency by how much of the employee’s life is dedicated to the company while for some, the company expects the employee to have a life outside work.
The company’s policy: Some companies have regulations concerning employees leaving work early. If your request is in violation of the company’s policy, it may be rejected.
Your Rapport with your boss: If you don’t get along well with your boss, you may face difficulty convincing him/her why you need to leave work early. It becomes easier if you have a smooth working relationship. If your manager has trust issues with you, he/she may not trust your excuse to leave work early.
History: If you have a history of being a serial latecomer or an absentee. You can hardly have your request granted.
Guidelines for Requesting an Early Close
Choose the Right Time: Always be mindful of when you make the request, asking for an earlier closing time when there’s a deadline to meet is unthoughtful and will hardly be considered. Ask at a time when there’s far less work to do.
Give the Manager Updates on Pending Projects: Give your manager assurance that you are not derelict with your duties, inform them of how you are going to make up for lost time. Help them understand that your absence doesn’t have adverse effects.
Properly Make the Request: Whether your request is going to be granted is dependent on how well you framed the request. It is best to frame your request as seeking for permission rather than just telling your manager. Inform your boss of who will cover for you during your absence.
If the Need Arises, Provide a Formal Document: If it is required of you to present a document (email or letter) explaining why you’re going to absent, do that.
Explain the Importance of the Reason: If your reason for requesting to be absent has any benefits to the company, try to explain this to your manager.
Some Good Excuses for Leaving Work Early
Not every request to leave work early can be granted, for a request to be granted, the reason presented should be substantial. It should also be noted that your employer’s perception of you is a bigger factor than the reason presented when determining if your request will be granted.
Here are some of the most common excuses accepted for leaving work early
Professional Development Ventures: When you are probably taking extra classes for a professional course you recently embarked on. It portrays dedication to your profession.
Customer Work: If you have an engagement with a customer that can foster the relationship between the company and such customer, such request can be granted.
Community Related Assignments: If you are a pillar in your community and you have a community related assignment or you volunteer with a community-based non-profit, such reasons are easily accepted.
Religious Obligations: If you have religious obligations, most employers would not like to look discriminatory against other people’s religious beliefs. However, this particular reason will stop being a good one when it becomes frequent.
Business Networking Events: If you are a member of a professional body or a business association, and there are events to be attended. Especially if your boss has business interests in such gatherings, he/she may require you to attend.
Work-Related Requests: Leaving the workplace to make some enquiries that are beneficial to the company, or visiting a nearby resource place for resources that are needed for more effective functioning.
Family Emergencies: If family emergencies come up, maybe a sick child or an accident, or the death of a close family member, an expectant wife, etc. A compassionate boss should grant such request.
Personal Reasons: If you fall sick unexpectedly, maybe you need rest or a doctor. A dentist may not wait for you to finish from work, a visit to the bank may require you to close early. A house emergency may come up such a flooded apartment, or a fire outbreak, or anything. There are lots of personal reasons you may have to need to leave work early.
Seeking New Employment: You are permitted to go job hunting if you know you are going to be out of your job in a short while.
Bad Excuses for Leaving Work Early
As earlier stated, your manager’s response to your request for early closure is more dependent on his/her perception to you. If you are not a dedicated staff, your request may not be considered except they are very convincing however, if you are a dedicated staff, your request are very likely to be granted.
There are some bad reasons that can hardly be considered. Reasons such as:
- Boredom, being bored at work is not a justified reason to want to leave early. Being bored is a signal that you have little or nothing to do.
- Hanging Out with Friends, leaving work to go have fun doesn’t look good. If you have a friend from out of town coming to visit, you need to formally take a day off for such activity.
- Receiving bad news at work is not a good reason to call it quits that day at work. If your appraisal report didn’t recommend you for a promotion, its not a valid reason to request to close early, garner the mental strength and go through that day.
- Requesting to close early so you can attend an interview at a rival company is not rational.
- If you have a hangover, then you should probably have a cup of coffee because using that as an excuse to skip work may not augur well with the manager.
- If you are stressed or overwhelmed, you can ask for a break rather than all together leaving work.
- If the errands you need to run are not urgent, then there’s no reason to request for an early closure.
- If you face minor personal issues like losing your pet, or being rejected by your crush, it is not a valid reason to request for early closure.
Important Facts to Note
- If your boss seems like a compassionate, easygoing individual, don’t try to take advantage of his personality to do whatever you want. If you have an issue that requires you to persistently leave work early, try to come to a compromise with your boss.
- Don’t tell lies, tell the story as it is. Your credibility is on the line at work, being caught in a lie is a huge downer for your profile at work.
- Ask, don’t demand to leave.
- Frequently asking for permission to leave work early hurts your chances of being granted permission to leave when you severely need it.
