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Recruitment News

Better late than never? Not true

Where you late for work this morning? Is this a regular occurrence? If the answer to both these questions is ‘yes’, you are not alone.

Over 11 million working hours are lost every year because employees are late arriving at work. Sure, the demands of modern life can make you feel as though there are not enough hours in the day and our excuses can be legitimate.

But, some explanations are so outrageous that they beggar belief.

According to a new survey by CareerBuilder.com, 16 per cent of workers admit that they arrive late of work at least once per week with a quarter saying that they need to make up an excuse to justify their tardiness.

Here are the 10 most unusual excuses that the survey found employees used:

1. Someone was following me, and I drove all around town trying to lose them

2. My dog dialed 999, and the police wanted to question me about what “really” happened

3. My girlfriend got mad and destroyed all of my underwear

4. I woke up and thought I was temporarily deaf

5. I just wasn’t “feelin’ it” this morning

6. I was up all night arguing with God

7. A raccoon stole my work shoe off my porch

8. I super-glued my eye thinking it was contact solution

9. I was putting lotion on my face when my finger went up my nose causing a nose bleed

10. A prostitute climbed into my car at a stop light, and I was afraid my wife would see her and think I was messing around ... so I got out of the car.

And, a study conducted by the University of Manchester found that men, parents of infants, younger single workers and those with no educational qualifications are most likely to be late with the majority of workers being late at least once per month. Whereas, 70 per cent of people who claim to always be on time to work are typically older and married.

Ken Clark, one of the economists who carried out the research, said: “We found that higher wages, performance pay and other incentive schemes reduced lateness”.

Genius. Did they really need to carry out research to deduce that?

(Picture: Photo of a man in a suit looking at his watch)

Encore for Newport

(Picture: Artists Impression of the Ramada Encore Hotel)

Plans to start the building of Newport’s newest hotel have taken a step closer with the appointment of building developers Alfred McAlpine to undertake the project which is set to create 30 jobs and contribute to the regeneration plans for Newport city centre.

Alfred McAlpine beat off competition from 15 other developers to secure the development of the new Ramada Encore hotel on the site of the Old Town Dock. The company has already been part of the city’s regeneration with the completion of Newport City Footbridge last year.

The 1.52 acre site will contain an upper budget sector hotel with 124 bedrooms, 2,000 sq ft of meeting and conference facilities, a bar and restaurant as well as a visitor car park.

The hotel site is one of several regeneration schemes at Old Town Dock in the city of Newport. Westmark Limited has been appointed to create the first phase of 154 one and two-bed residential units in a development worth £25 million on a two acre site.

John Burrows, chief executive of Newport Unlimited, a partnership between Newport City Council and the Welsh Assembly Government, said: “It is our vision to create a sustainable city with a thriving city centre.

“As well as the Ramada Encore hotel, the Old Town Dock area will offer 1,500 new flats and apartments, student accommodation, a business district, and new leisure space.”