Remote workers have a few favourite excuses for not doing any work

A new poll claims that technical difficulties are among the most common excuses for not working by remote workers. Unexpected family events, sick family members, and other family emergencies come second with 18 percent. Other work obligations like attending a virtual meeting, or urgent tasks that require immediate attention are at the end of the list with 10 percent.

The survey, carried out by WorkYard, asked around 1600 remote workers to name the most common excuse they use when working remotely. The respondents revealed that power outages and issues with internet connectivity are most frequently used by them, and overall other technical difficulties topped the list by 32 percent. The survey was carried out in mid-February and aimed to uncover more excuses all the remote workers use.

The survey revealed that technical difficulties can take on many forms, including problems with internet connectivity, computer hardware or software issues, power outages, and much more. Video and audio problems, and cybersecurity threats were mentioned as well. These kinds of difficulties were the top issue faced by 32 percent of respondents.

Around a fifth (18 percent) of the survey participants mentioned that they use excuses such as unexpected events regarding their family, sick family members that need to be taken care of and unexpected home repair issues such as plumbing. All in all, family or personal emergencies came second in our survey list.

The cold, flu and other health conditions preventing to work are not new to any of us. They still continue to be an excuse in our digital age with 15 percent of the respondents mentioning that they are their most “favourite” excuses. Illness or health issues also included excuses like chronic health condition that requires rest and pregnancy.

Misunderstandings are also common among remote work excuses with 13 percent overall. People like to say things such as working across different time zones and experiencing confusion about time differences, confusion about the time or date of the call, etc.

Distractions or interruptions are still frequent excuses when working remotely, especially for those in big families, or for those whose neighbours are always in the house repair process. 12 percent of participants like to mention that they got interrupted and were unable to continue.

The survey revealed that the least favourite excuses remote employees like to give are Other work obligations with 10 percent and at the bottom of our list. Attending other virtual meeting, urgent tasks that require immediate attention were their most lovely responses.

The survey also uncovered some more unusual excuses, including:

• I accidentally spilled hot sauce on my laptop, and now it’s not working.
• My psychic told me that today is a bad day to work, and I need to listen to my intuition.
• My refrigerator is making a strange noise, and I need to stay near it to make sure it doesn’t explode.
• I can’t work because my aura is out of balance, and I need to perform a series of rituals to realign my energy.
• My neighbour’s dog is barking too loudly, and I can’t concentrate on my work.