16 Good Excuses to Miss Work for a Few Days

You’ll need these 16 good excuses to miss work for a few days, we guarantee you!

It’s that time of the year again when the holidays are just around the corner and everyone is talking about their plans. It seems that buying gifts, going away for a few days, and sipping coffee in your pajamas is all we can think of these wintery days. It’s quite usual not to feel very excited about going to work.

If you’re reading this, then you too woke up feeling like this today. Now you’re thinking: what’s a really good excuse for missing work for a day or two? We’ve heard most of them before and you think your boss is not likely to buy the good old “I don’t feel so good” excuse that easily. Or…?

Say no more. If you continue reading this article, you’ll find a handful of perfectly good excuses that will allow you to skip work for a couple of days and unwind at home, like you’re meant to do in these cold days. You can also turn to our previous article containing good excuses to miss work on short notice.

We’ve asked the “experts”, people who’ve tried these excuses and proved they’re effective. They’re great if you are in need of good excuses to miss work on short notice i.e. for when you wake up feeling like staying at home and sleeping. Both Career Addict and Reddit gave us some pretty great suggestions and we randomly selected what we deemed to be the most believable ones. So the next time you need an excuse to miss work last minute, you’ll know where to look!

We present to you the 16 good excuses to miss work for a few days! P.S. You take full responsibility if you get caught.

16.A Dead Grandma/Aunt

Isn’t this one of the most widely used excuses to get out of something or what? Most people have used the funeral card at least once in their lives. One person even wrote to Cosmopolitan saying that they used the same excuse (dead aunt) six times! But beware of overusing it because not all bosses have such bad memory.

15. My Child Is Sick

It’s not your finest moment, you’re using your child to get out of work but hey, if you really have no other choice, who are we to blame you? This is also one of the most frequently used excuses out there.

14. I’m Sick

Usually, this is the easiest way to get out of work on short notice. You cannot predict sickness so if you catch a cold tonight, you can’t be blamed for that. But it’s also tricky because you need to sound convincing. Do not do it if you can’t fake a sick voice. The reason bosses don’t always buy this story is because we often use it when we’re perfectly fine.

13. Family Emergency

Ah, the good old family emergency excuses. Most bosses won’t ask any further questions if you say you have a family emergency. It’s simply impolite to ask. They will usually tell you to go ahead and take a few days off to sort things out without any suspicion. But prepare a good story for when you get back in case your boss inquires!

12. Food Poisoning

This is a believable excuse for missing work, at least according to Reddit users. It may be because you’re using a specific problem instead of just saying you’re sick. Either way, you might consider it the next time.

11. A Car Accident

While some people did use this excuse saying they were in an accident, we don’t recommend that (karma). It’s better to say that there was a car accident and that the road is closed so you can’t get to work on time. These things are unpredictable so you’ll probably have the rest of the day off. Nevertheless, being in a car accident is one of the 16 good excuses to miss work for a few days, but stuck in a traffic jam can only get you one day off.

10. A Dislocated Hip/Knee/Shoulder

If you call your boss and say that you have dislocated your hip or knee, not only will they believe you but you’ll get a couple of days off or even more. It’s not exactly a cold so they know it takes a bit more time to recover from this. That makes it a good excuse to miss work for a week!

9. Your Cousin Is Getting Married

If you are in need of a good excuse to miss work in advance, simply tell your boss that you have a wedding to attend on a certain day. Weddings are important so no question there. You are guaranteed to get a day off to attend your cousin’s wedding, and if you say you have to travel to another city you’ll get a few days off.

8. A Migraine

Oh, no, that migraine again! Try to sound believable as you call your boss and complain about your terrible migraine, and then just slip that you have to go and get that checked tomorrow, and there you have it – a few days off.

7. Stomach Virus

Again, it’s much better to have a specific health issue rather than just say you’re not feeling well. Your boss is more likely to believe you.

6. My Car Broke Down

Just like that, out of the blue, your car broke down so now you’re not able to get to work. What a shame! No one can prove it didn’t happen so you can try.

5. Leaky Water Heater

You woke up and noticed that the water heater is leaking. Now you have to stay at home and wait for someone to fix it. Convenient, isn’t it? Then, it can turn out that the problem is much bigger then you expected, and that you need tomorrow as well, for a completely new installation. Quite an original one on this list of 16 good excuses to miss work for a few days.

4. I Drank Too Much

This won’t get you out of work for several days but it can surely allow you to enjoy one day at home. Many bosses will understand if you honestly tell them that you drank a bit too much last night and you’re not in the condition to work.

3. The Flu

When you have the flu, no one wants you to come to work and get everybody else sick too. This will get you a few days off.

2. Ran Over A Dog

If you are desperate to stay at home one day, you can say that o your way to work you ran over a dog or a cat so you have to go to the vet. And you have to fully take care of it, until you find someone who will do that instead of you, so you will need more than just one day. Needless to say, you don’t actually hurt any animals.

1. Slip and Fall

Our final excuse to miss work for a few days will definitely get you a couple of days off but it’s for the bold ones among you. call your boss and say you’ve slipped and fallen so you can’t move. The recovery may take up to a week or more…