Excuses to get out of working weekends

[Skippy722]

At the old shop I worked at weekends were almost mandatory the way the acted even though they weren’t… I worked most of them but the once a month I’d plan something or I just didn’t feel like working another 58 hour week it was like pulling teeth to get Saturday off.

Here are some I’ve used

“No.”
“I will not be in town this weekend, and no I’m not changing my plans.”
“I am not coming in. Whether or not I still have a job Monday is up to you.”
“Absolutely not, I’d rather sleep till noon.”

 

[dnewton3]

It's difficult at times to turn down a job expectation when one feels the stress of needing that job (house payments, family obligations, etc.)

Perhaps firmly but fairly ask for a quid pro quo; "I'll work Saturday for a floating day off of my choice in the next month ..." If that deadline (or client event, or quarterly sales quota, or whatever) is so important that the work effort is truly needed and not just an attempt to milk more productivity for no pay, then the company should be willing to compensate the employee in some acceptable manner.

 

[tbm5690]

Exempt means salaried, and a salary is based on X amount of hours a week. Pretty simple...you pay me for 40 hours, so I will work 40 hours (normally). Additionally, if you treat your employees right they will gladly go the extra mile for you...I don't mind the occasional Saturday but it means I just earned comp time to take later.

 

[Wolf359]

This is a good list of lame excuses.

My favorites are:

I did my own thing and now I've got to undo it.
My plot to take over the world is thickening.

Date Excuses

A list of date excuses you can use if someone you're not interested in asks you out. Go easy on them though, rejection can be tough to handle.

dan.hersam.com

 

[02SE]

When I was striving to make a business I started and had sunk my life savings into a success, I sometimes worked for months with no days off. Christmas, New Years, Birthdays, whatever. The hard work eventually paid off.

Since it's an acknowledged and sometimes necessary legitimate request, I'd say to suck it up. Or find another opportunity.

 

[Dennywires]

Many of us exempt employees sometimes face the awkward request of working on a weekend. It is often important to our manager or our client, but not important to us. I would like to compile a list of excuses that are plausible and should work. Something that isn't as predictable and lame as "my grandmother died." Please add. Some of the best are drawn from personal experience. I'll start with three.

"I need to inter my mother's ashes out of town per her request." (Who would dare tell you you cant?)

"I am best man for my friend's wedding this weekend."

"I have to do court-ordered community service this weekend." (This has the added benefit of making you look like a bad-xxx).

What's the line of work... any agreement, contract signed or anything stated in your employee handbook that is binding and has you on the hook?

 

[ecotourist]

The only time I got out of working a weekend was when I got my very first license to practice medicine. I said I couldn't work because my malpractice insurance didn't start until Monday. There was no argument.

I worked many weekends, many Christmas days, many New Years eves after that. And people wonder why no-one wants to be a GP anymore.

 

[Leo99]

My company has an unlimited vacation policy but the expectation is that the work needs to get done. People would gladly work weekends but we're also told that we need to manage our personal time better and work less. It's a weird dynamic. The psychology of working weekends is all about if you're forced or asked and can say no. I can say no but my coworkers will have to do more work and I'm a team player. So, you juggle things as best you can. Work Saturday and take off during the week. No one is watching our hours unless you're labeled a slacker. Slackers get the boot.

 

[dishdude]

 

[bdcardinal]

The Yip Yips are the unofficial mascots of counterpeople.

 

[Wolf359]

 

[Ws6]

Many of us exempt employees sometimes face the awkward request of working on a weekend. It is often important to our manager or our client, but not important to us. I would like to compile a list of excuses that are plausible and should work. Something that isn't as predictable and lame as "my grandmother died." Please add. Some of the best are drawn from personal experience. I'll start with three.

"I need to inter my mother's ashes out of town per her request." (Who would dare tell you you cant?)

"I am best man for my friend's wedding this weekend."

"I have to do court-ordered community service this weekend." (This has the added benefit of making you look like a bad-xxx).

I worked weekend, nights, for a decade. I called in sick one time, and was in the ER that morning. This post is the epitome of weakness. Not because you won't work a weekend, but because you're a liar and can't just say so out of fear.

 

[wwillson]

I grew up on a large row crop and livestock farm and didn't know anything but working seven days/week. Now I do take time off on the weekends, but still work several hours each weekend day, mostly on BITOG. Just this last weekend I spent about twelve hours troubleshooting intermittent stalls on page loads and high TTFB. Glad to say the problem is found and fixed. Chrome devtools are full of troubleshooting tools and I find them hard to use, but extremely helpful.

 

[Kestas]

What's the line of work... any agreement, contract signed or anything stated in your employee handbook that is binding and has you on the hook?

One colleague of mine (different company) would reply "Why is this necessary, is the patient not going to make it through the weekend?"

In my case it was only rare times that they asked. I work in a lab as an engineer.

Sometimes our product would have a problem and it was our clients, i.e., Ford, Chrysler, who were my boss and told me what to do and when to do it. I have a fair bit of responsibility and they have more power over me than my managers. It wasn't a case of my managers willy nilly asking for weekend time.

 

[JC1]

You could mention you are getting vaccinated if you already haven't done so.

Other excuses are that you are helping so and so working on something at their house.

Family reunion possibly?

I wouldn't try to make excuses all the time, but that's me.

 

[SeaJay]

It is quite different if you work remotely vs. in a work location such as an office, a shop, store, etc.

If remote and weekend work needs doing, do it but take some comp time on your own schedule during the week.

 

[Astro14]

I’ve worked weekends and holidays my entire life.

Weekends off sure sounds nice, but I’ve got no idea what that’s like.

Making excuses just isn’t in my nature. If I can’t work, and it’s for a good reason, then I call in sick.

But it must be a good reason, like, actually being sick.

I don’t call in sick when I get assigned a trip that leaves on the Wednesday before thanksgiving and gets back Sunday, or because I’m working December 23-27, or July 2-5, or any other combination of days that regular folks expect to have off. I work those days. People are counting on me to get them to Disney, on vacation, to an important meeting, or wedding, or funeral.

Weekends off sounds nice but doesn’t apply to all sorts of career fields. You get hurt on a weekend, do you expect doctors and nurses to be at the hospital? You want to travel, do you expect the airline, or hotels, to allow you to book on a weekend or Holiday? How about a gas station? Should they be open on weekends or holidays? Restaurant?

Of course you do, you use those businesses and service more on weekends and holidays.

I’m not sure what I find most shocking in this thread, the idea that folks are entitled to weekends off, or that lying and making excuses is acceptable. If the work needs to be done, why are you better than your co-workers, or other employees that will be called in when you lie your way out? Why do you deserve better than them?

 

[JTK]

Pretty rare to get any exempt employee to stay beyond normal business hours where I work, but every so often we need them.

At a minimum, I've worked every other weekend for the past 24yrs. Most holidays too. Shiftworker's blues.

 

[UncleDave]

"I have to do court-ordered community service this weekend." (This has the added benefit of making you look like a bad-xxx).

It's probably more likely that it makes you look like a loser.

If you have a shift work gig and keep dodging what you signed up for then I probably dont want you on my team anyway as you overly burden the crew that makes it work.

As the CEO when things hit the fan I go in and stay myself until the crises has passed.
I dont ask my team to do anything I wouldnt do myself.

 

[PandaBear]

I cannot find childcare that day.