Whether you just need a day off and are looking for an excuse or you are wondering which reasons to get out of work your boss will accept as legitimate, read on. When an employee is interviewing for another job, it might be necessary to call out of work in order to attend an interview. Even if the interview will only last an hour, it would be awkward to show up to work dressed for an interview and face questions from employees or a manager.

They don’t typically warrant any deeper questioning from a boss, either. If you have children, take advantage of being a good parent https://remotemode.net/blog/10-valid-reasons-to-call-out-of-work/ who’s always looking out for them and call off a day of work. In some cases, the weather could make getting to work impossible.

You’re Caring for an Ill Child or Family Member

Taking sick days when you need them ultimately makes you more productive. Whether you’re working in person or remotely there are, in general, legitimate reasons to call out of work — as well as those that are less so. If your employer isn’t understanding, that could open up doors to legal issues due to the challenge of your religious freedom.

A sprained ankle, wrist, or knee is an excellent excuse, as well. You can’t really do anything for it medically, it’s serious enough to be painful and distracting but not serious enough for a visit to the doctor or hospital. You can always use your pooch or your pussycat as an excuse, too. Say your beloved fur-baby ate something he wasn’t supposed to and you have to get to the vet ASAP. Tell your boss that you had annual blood work, and there was an “irregularity”… you’ll have to go in right away for follow-up testing. Your neighbor called – the water pipes “broke” and your basement is flooding.

Using PTO for Paid Vacation Time

Sometimes, you just need a day off to watch out for yourself. Perhaps you’re burnt out from work or home life and you need some time to catch up on sleep, run some errands or just relax. While a day off isn’t going to turn around your mental health completely, taking extra time for yourself can help you refresh and recharge — so you can show up for yourself, and for work, better. Just because you’re not showing symptoms right now, doesn’t mean you can’t pass COVID to others. If you’ve tested positive for COVID, you shouldn’t be going into work (or out in public at all).

Unless your boss is from the negaverse, they’ll understand that your kids and dependents come first. This is a definite instance of wanting to know how the FMLA/labor laws can support you, and understanding paid vs. unpaid leave at your workplace. Some no-notice reasons are perfectly acceptable, as long as they’re used sparingly.

You have a doctor’s appointment

However, like your own illness, make sure you know what you’ll need to provide – if anything – to support that decision or ensure you can return. Usually, any required steps will be outlined in the employee handbook. When it comes to missing work, there are a few good excuses to call out, like being ill and potentially contagious. If you head into your workplace and infect your colleagues, productivity could grind to a halt if multiple employees all start calling out together. Plus, with COVID-19 still being relevant, even having mild symptoms should be enough to make calling out justified.

That means if you’re faced with a sudden and unexpected family emergency, it’s completely reasonable to call out — in these moments, we need to give our loved ones our full attention. But being sick is just one of many valid excuses for missing work. It’s important to understand when you need to take a step back.

Feeling sick

Think of mourning a death as if it were a physical illness, says Dr. Rubenstein. So validate what you need.” That said, some people find that stepping away from work is not helpful while grieving because it feels more isolating. Commuting complications are, oftentimes, not in your control. Perhaps the bus broke down, or the train was experiencing delays or there was an accident on your route and there’s bumper-to-bumper traffic.

• In most cases, with a reasonable excuse, you can rest assured that your employer will listen and assist accordingly, whether it’s the last minute, short notice, or prearranged excuse.
• The company likely expects you to get the issues fixed promptly or to make alternative transportation arrangements.
• You shouldn’t be coming into work hungover, or really getting hungover during the workweek, in the first place.
• (Bonus points if you can do it during a slow time at work.) It normalizes running errands — something that people actually do more often than taking lunch breaks.
• In most cases, your employer will simply deal with it if you don’t miss work that often.

These emergencies may include an injured pet, a suddenly ill relative, or a child falling ill at school. Therefore, going to a doctor’s appointment is a legitimate reason to call out of work. It may even be possible to only miss half a day or a few hours to attend https://remotemode.net/ the appointment. If an employer trusts you enough to hire you, they should be able to trust you enough to determine what a family emergency constitutes for you. Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog.