My boss just did this, for a good reason as her partner unexpected and prematurely went into labour, but it did get me wondering in what other situation this is an acceptable thing to do
Honestly, it depends on your job.
Some jobs will fire you for taking too long in the restroom.
Those are not good jobs.At other jobs, nobody will flinch if you send a quick note saying you gotta leave now for personal reasons and just take off.
It’s amazing how the conditions of job scale with pay. The lowest paid jobs have the worst conditions, work environment, colleagues and management. One way of climbing this ladder is to acquire niche skills that are difficult to replace. Charisma is probably the top tier skill when seeking the best work conditions. If you add psychopathy to that, forget about it, you on the board of directors.
Those are not good jobs.
Over time, those jobs will lose all the good staff. It’s self-correcting.
Any personal crisis is a good reason, child sick, significant other in a crash, you getting sick.
Any reason at all. It’s your life, not theirs.
Some reasons I’ve done this:
- Family member in hospital (ER/ICU)
- I get a migraine
- I generally just feel super tired for some reason and I cannot continue
- House emergency (basement flooding)
As others have said, it depends on your job and what’s going on that day, but in my career, I have left work early just to take my kids to the zoo.
I told my boss I was leaving. He asked me why. I said, “It’s a gorgeous summer day, life is short and I’m gonna take my kids to the zoo.”
He kinda eyeballed me for a second and then laughed and said “Ok. Have fun!”
And we did.
I worked as a landscaper just after high school and while working on a flower bed behind an apartment I stepped directly on a yellow jacket nest. Before I realized what had happened there were yellow jackets in my pant leg. I was stung well over 100 times. I was allowed to take the rest of the day off.
JFC
If you’re an American, I’d go with diarrhea if you’re in a workplace with bad management. If you have a boss that actually cares about you, tell them you have a migraine.
Diarrhea is no excuse in America. Strap on some Depends and get back to work!
When 9/11 occurs and you believe your building is being targeted next. When you are on the 46 floor and have a clear flight path right at you.
When a psycho murderer with am assault rifle mass murders people across the street from you (101 California street, San Francisco, 1993)
We worked through that one. But my boss hated his job so much, he said let them kill me.
I did this in 1997 on the day that Final Fantasy VII came out. Just straight up walked out and didn’t come back for a few days. If I’m perfectly honest, nobody noticed. I’m not sure whether this means it was acceptable or not.
Winning the lottery. Not “acceptable” maybe, but a valid reason nonetheless.
Get pooped on by a patient
Somehow I feel this is coming from experience
Anything medial realted to a family member or close friend. Anything witch requires the response to an emergency service, something you own on fire, or will soon be on fire, gas leak.
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Context needed.
Accounting, sure, not much going to happen immediately.
Infrastructure worker (as in electricity, water etc.), no, you can’t really do that unless you have a substitute at hand.
In Germany, this is acceptable whenever you feel unable to continue your shift (be it due to personal distress or sickness). If you showed up at all, your shift will be paid in full and not counted as sick day or anything if you have to stop it because you have become unable to continue working.
So you can just clock in and go home, and this it fine?
