Thinking of calling out 6 things not to say, according to hiring managers whove heard them

Thinking of calling out 6 things not to say, according to hiring managers whove heard themThinking of calling out 6 things not to say, according to hiring managers whove heard themCalling out of work is inevitably kind of awkward. You never want to seem unprofessional or as though youre totally lying to get out of having to adult for the day. But calling out is especially difficult to do if you have to call out for a seemingly ridiculous reason that youjust know yur manager is going to question.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe truth is that managers have heard all of the grown-up versions of my dog ate my homework. Whether these are truths or made-up excuses, we asked them to share the most cringeworthy Im calling out messages theyve ever received - and heres what they had to offer.1. Mixed-up daysAs a director of operations, I have heard every calling out excuse in the book - and most of these far surpass the middle school the dog ate my homework line, says Dana Case, director of operations ofMyCorporation.com. Two, in particular, stand out. Once, I welches told by an employee that they woke up and thought it was Saturday. It was actually Wednesday. Another employee once said they couldnt make it into work because they spilled their coffee walking out the door. I mean, once that happens the day is basically over - right?2. Broken bonesOne morning I received a call from an employee that he had fallen down a steep flight of stairs on his way to the office and had broken his hand - he explained he couldnt come into the office since he was going to the emergency room for X-rays, says Jared Weitz, CEO and founder of United Capital Source Inc. Later that afternoon, I received a call from a competing business asking about this specific employee. Turns out, he had interviewed for a job there that morning and they were looking for a reference. The next day, when the employee wasnt in the hospital, we asked him to come in for a meeting. During the conversation, he was standing next to a chair and leaning on the broken hand the entire time without even realizing it. Needless to say, this employee no longer works for us.3. Calling outslickI am a human resources officer, and the craziest calling out story I have is from a polizze department customer, says Sarah Torres-Ferrick. The officer called out before his shift saying that he was sick. There was nothing out of the ordinary, until we received a complaint from an officer that had to work overtime due to the call out. The officer that called out sick deutsche bundesposted on Facebook called out slick today. He was friends with his fellow police officers and they did not appreciate him calling out slick and making them work overtime.4. Backup helpA few weeks ago, we heard a knock at our office door at 7 a.m. and, to our surprise, it was a new employees boyfriend, says Trisha Lake, owner and CEO of TLC Cleaning LLC. He came in and sat down to explain our employee was not feeling well and was nervous to call in and get yelled at. He explained to us that he decided to come in, and we could yell at him. We kindly explained our policy on call-offs while also mentioning it is never appropriate for this to happen again. Very strange situation.5. Unknown holidaysWe had an employee last year who called out my business lebensabschnittsgefhrte and I for not giving everyone paid time off for Nevada Day, says Matthew Ross, the co-owner and COO of The Slumber Yard. I had never even heard of it before, but I guess its a holiday that commemorates the states admission to the Union. The employee was really upset we didnt give everybody the day off. She made a big announcement in front of everyone saying she couldnt believe how selfish my business partner and I were. It was very odd. After her outburst, I called a few friends who work for various companies in the Reno area, and they didnt have the day off either. It turns out pretty much no private companies in the state give their employees the day off, which made the whole situation even more bizarre.6. Bad hair daysBack when I was an exec in the hospitality industry, we had a mid-level manager in her late 30s call out because she was having a bad hair day, says Joni Holderman, founder of Thrive Resumes. It wasnt a hair color fiasco or a truly tragic haircut her hair just wouldnt do what she wanted it to that day (which is the story of my life).Dont miss out on articles like these. Sign upA version of this post previously appeared on Fairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people