One of the issues with overemployment is dealing with conflicting meetings. If you can’t manage both meetings at the same time, you might consider providing an excuse to get out of one.
Bookmark these excuses, and make sure to track each one (so you don’t use it more than once):
- Sudden Illness: You have become unexpectedly ill – send a quick email before or after the meeting. The less explanation the better, since you are sick and unable to write.
- Scheduled Medical Appointment: A pre-existing appointment with a doctor, dentist, or specialist that could not be moved, and you absolutely must attend. This can also be for a loved one, family member, or pet.
- Childcare or Family Emergency: An unexpected issue with a child’s school, a sick child, or a family member needing immediate care.
- Internet or Power Outage: A technical issue in your local area is preventing you from connecting to the meeting.
- Home Emergency: An issue like a burst pipe, fire alarm, or a maintenance problem that requires your immediate attention.
- Conflicting Mandatory Meeting: A required meeting with another team or manager was scheduled at the same time.
- Urgent Personal Business: The need to take care of time-sensitive matters like a bank appointment or a government-related errand.
- Scheduled Delivery or Repair Service: A time-sensitive appointment for an important home repair or a package delivery that requires a signature.
- Mental Health Break: The need to take an unscheduled break to manage stress or avoid burnout, communicated as a need to step away from the computer.
- Head-down Focus on a Deadline: The employee needs to focus completely on a critical, urgent project with a tight deadline and cannot afford to be distracted.
- Technical Difficulties: Specific issues with their computer, microphone, or camera that prevent them from participating in the meeting.
- Caregiver Responsibilities: A planned or unplanned need to care for an elderly parent or another family member.
- Local Emergency: A public safety alert or local road closure that is affecting their ability to work.
- Pet Emergency: An unexpected and urgent situation involving a pet that requires immediate attention, like a trip to the vet.
- Unplanned School Closure: A sudden closure of a child’s school due to weather or an unexpected event.
- Travel Delays: A flight delay or other transportation issue if the employee is traveling.
- Migraine or Severe Headache: An intense, sudden headache that makes it difficult to look at a screen.
- Unstable Connection: Your internet is sporadically cutting out, making a video call impossible.
- Unscheduled Visitor: An unexpected visitor or a delivery person at your door who requires immediate attention. This is great if you don’t need to miss an entire meeting, just a short time.
- Lack of a Private Space: The employee’s normal workspace is temporarily unavailable, making it impossible to join a confidential meeting.
- Personal Injury: A minor but painful injury that makes it difficult to sit or concentrate.
- Noise Disturbance: Unexpected, loud construction or other noise outside their home that makes a meeting impossible. Playing sounds in the background might make it more believable, and saying, “I’m sorry, I’ll need to move to a new spot and take the call from there.”
- Prescription Pick-up: A time-sensitive need to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy.
- Need to Re-focus: The employee is experiencing a loss of focus and needs to take a walk or do a non-screen activity to be productive.
Simple Oversight: “I apologize—I completely lost track of time and just realized the meeting had started. I’ll catch up on the notes.”
