Good Excuse Required

karma82

Just wondering if anyone can come up with a good excuse for me to only work four days a week in my 9-5 so that I can pursue a course in order to get a job I actually like. If I work 8-6 on the other four days Ill still be pretty much doing the same weekly hours but I need to think of a good excuse as I don't think its going to be easy to persuade my boss and Im desperate to do this course.

any ideas pls????????

Thanks!!!

seamus

How about "I want to take a one-day-per-week course"?

Flukey

Tell them and work up the hours. If you have to, sell it to them in such a way that they can benefit from you doing the course. You may find you need them down the line, and they may be very helpful in ways that at this stage that you don't realise. They'll respect you for your honesty rather than you going behind their backs. So go in and tell them you want to do the course.

VroomVroom

Parental Leave...depending on your job/rules/boss, etc.

You might have to come up with better excuses to not go to the annual Children's Day Picnic/Visit Santa, etc. The kid will need a name that is easy to remember when you are spannered too. You'll need to learn birthdays, favourite foods, annoying habits, costs of school books, kids lunches. You'll have to talk about things like the cost of uniforms, and make it sound like you know what you are talking about.

And it usually isn't paid...

johnnyrotten

Just be honest with them and tell them you are doing a course. Most employers are happy to see an employee take on extra courses especially if it benifits the company.

karma82

I cant really be honest with them... I work as a web designer and Im going to do Physiotherapy... so it wont benifit my job here at all and I dont think it would encourage them to accomodate me if they knew that...

karma82

VroomVroom wrote:

Parental Leave...depending on your job/rules/boss, etc.

You might have to come up with better excuses to not go to the annual Children's Day Picnic/Visit Santa, etc. The kid will need a name that is easy to remember when you are spannered too. You'll need to learn birthdays, favourite foods, annoying habits, costs of school books, kids lunches. You'll have to talk about things like the cost of uniforms, and make it sound like you know what you are talking about.

And it usually isn't paid...

Thats good , but where did I suddenly get the baby from? Id have to walk around with a pillow under my belly for 9 months prior to that kind of story, and as much fun as that would be, I just dont have that kind of time :rolleyes:

BossArky

karma82 wrote:

I work as a web designer and Im going to do Physiotherapy... so it wont benifit my job here at all and I dont think it would encourage them to accomodate me if they knew that...

Tell the boss that you'll dole out free massages to combat RSI in the office at lunch times Mon-Thurs.

VroomVroom

karma82 wrote:

Thats good , but where did I suddenly get the baby from? Id have to walk around with a pillow under my belly for 9 months prior to that kind of story, and as much fun as that would be, I just dont have that kind of time :rolleyes:

Sorry, easier excuse for a bloke I guess...

What about:

You recently saw all of the ads on TV from the Blood Transfusion Service and being the concerned citizen that you are, you went and donated. When they took some of your blood, they discovered that you have a very rare type of life saving blood, so they have asked you to donate blood once a week for "insert duration of course here" weeks.

For the sake of your country, and the general well being of others, you have decided that you should take up this great honour...Boss would be seen as an enemy of the state if he denied your request?

mandy2005

just tell them you have to go to physiotherapy one day a week for back strain related to working on pc's all day

Eoin

karma82 wrote:

I cant really be honest with them... I work as a web designer and Im going to do Physiotherapy... so it wont benifit my job here at all and I dont think it would encourage them to accomodate me if they knew that...

You may find it hard to convince them that you will work the same amount of hours in 4 days as you normally would in 5 days - this may seem like you are coasting at the moment.

Is taking a 20% decrease on your pay an option? If you think you could manage it, then just ask that you work a 4 day week. This could benefit the company because they will have a reduced wage bill (and associated pension & PRSI costs etc). When you are asking for a reduced hours and pay contract, then you can afford to be a little more vague on why you want it.