How to Apologize for Being Late to Work

Writing an Apology Email or Letter

Send an apology email or letter if you happen to be exceptionally late. In the event that you’re a no-show for more than an hour, it may be a good idea to follow up your face-to-face apology with a written one. Taking the time to compose a formal letter will show that you’re genuinely remorseful and help you get back into your employer’s good graces. You should also think about writing an apology letter if you’ve already had one or more violations in the past, or if your tardiness caused a major problem for your company, such as a lost client or safety violation.

Use a formal structure for your letter. Place your full name, address, and email address at the top of the letter. On the following line, note the date that you’re writing. Beneath that, display your boss's name and email address and the physical address of the company. If you work for a large company, put down the local address of your workplace rather than the business’s headquarters.

Open your letter with a traditional greeting. Start with the word “Dear,” followed by your boss’s appropriate title. It’s customary to use a given title like "Mr.", “Mrs.", or “Miss,” even if you’re ordinarily on casual terms. Never refer to your employer by their first name. Most apology letters will open with a line like, “Dear Miss Morgan” or “Dear Mr. Singh.” If you don’t feel comfortable using the word “Dear,” it’s alright to drop it and just say “Miss Morgan,” followed by a comma. Be careful not to sound too familiar with your employer. Doing so could come across as disrespectful.

Present your apology in the body of the letter. Explain that the purpose of your letter is to go above and beyond a simple verbal apology. Then, summarize your reason for being late, even if you’ve already talked it out with your boss in person. Don’t forget to note the date and time to provide context for the situation. Your explanation might read, "I want to offer my sincerest apologies for being two hours late to work this past Friday, August 10th, 2018. I had an unexpected crisis at home that demanded my attention. I understand that my absence came at an inopportune moment for the company, and I would like to say once again how sorry I am." Keep the body of your letter short and sweet. Ideally, it should consist of only a few lines—your opening, a brief explanation, and a final acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

Show that you understand the consequences of your tardiness. Since it’s hard to take away a sense of tone from a written apology, you’ll want to include a line that conveys that you regret being late. Acknowledge how your mistake impacted your employer and coworkers, or what it cost the company if there were financial consequences. As an example, you might write, "I realize that by missing my 10 am appointment I not only lost a potential client but also damaged our company’s credibility as a dependable consultant with an emphasis on customer satisfaction.”

End your letter by stating how you plan to make up for your mistake. Explain how you plan to avoid being late in future. Describe the exact steps you’ll take to follow through on your pledge, such as leaving earlier or scheduling your appointments more prudently. This will show that you’re focused on actionable solutions, not just empty excuses. A closing line like, "I've asked a trusted neighbor to be available to help with the dogs so that a situation like this morning’s doesn’t happen again” will be taken as a sign of good faith.

Express your gratitude before signing off. Thank your boss for their patience and understanding, and for taking the time to read your letter. Ending things on a gracious note will help soothe any lingering feelings of resentment and set a positive tone for future interactions. Your final line doesn’t have to be anything too extravagant: "I appreciate how gracious you’ve been throughout this whole ordeal, and I’m eager for another chance to prove my loyalty to the company." If nothing else, include a short gesture of thanks like, “Thank you for being understanding of these difficulties and my plans to correct them.”

Sign your name at the bottom of the letter by hand. Leave a little space beneath your closing where you can put your signature once you’ve printed your letter. If you decide to send it as an email instead, it’s okay to simply type out your first and last name. Be sure to use the name you go by most often at the workplace. If you wish, you can include a complimentary closing line like “Sincerely” or “With respect” before your signature. Listing your job title below your name may help your recipient identify you more easily if you work in a large company with multiple departments.

Calling Ahead

Gauge how late you're going to be. Take stock of the conditions holding you up and estimate how much longer it will be until you can make it in. Depending on what you do, a few minutes may not be the end of the world. If you think you’ll be delayed for a while, however, you should always make it a point to let someone know. Consider how long it will take you to resolve your current situation in order to give a more accurate estimate. If you’re stuck in traffic, for example, use a navigation app that provides live traffic updates to find out how fast things are moving up ahead. Giving your employer an idea of when they can expect you to arrive will put them at ease and allow them to make any necessary adjustments to the schedule.

Call your workplace when you're going to be more than 5 minutes late. Unless you’re confident you can make it in on time despite the setback, it’s usually best to pick up the phone and let someone know you’re running behind. Inform them of what’s going on and how much longer it will be before you can get there. If you have no way of knowing how late you’ll ultimately be, err on the side of caution and call anyway.

Take the day’s events into consideration and call sooner if necessary. Your tardiness may cause more of an issue depending on what you’ve got going that day. If your store is running a big sale or you’ve got an important meeting on the books, for instance, you’ll definitely want to alert your employer or client right away. If you phone right away, someone else may be able to cover for you until you arrive.

Ask to speak directly to your boss. Once you’ve got someone on the phone, request to be put on the line with your manager, shift leader, or one of your boss’s direct subordinates. This will help ensure that the message gets relayed to the right person. If you have important information to share, leave it with your boss’s receptionist or administrative assistant. These people usually take notes, so there will be a record of your call. Avoid sharing your status with a coworker. If they get busy or distracted, they may forget to pass the word along.

Apologizing in Person

Address the matter with your boss as soon as you show up. Make issuing your apologizing priority #1 after you walk in the door. Chances are, your boss will wave it off and you can get to work. Otherwise, they’ll have a chance to talk to you about it before you punch in. You should give an apology in person even if you called in beforehand to tell your employer that you were going to be late. If you put off apologizing because you’re busy or dread facing your boss, you may end up looking indifferent or irresponsible, which can reflect poorly on you as an employee.

Offer a brief explanation for why you’re late. Once you’ve got your boss’s ear, give them an account of the circumstances that caused your tardiness. Your apology should be explicit, truthful, and to-the-point. The more elaborate a tale you tell, the more it will sound like you’re just trying to cover for yourself. There’s no need to dress up your story with unnecessary details. Just say something like, "I’m sorry I was a few minutes late today. My youngest child got sick right when I was about to head out the door.” Avoid sharing the day’s events if they’re not work-appropriate. If you were late because you got distracted by a personal phone call or spent an hour on the toilet with tummy trouble, it may be better to not give a reason at all.

Be sincere. As you issue your apology, make an effort to sound properly remorseful. Your boss will be able to tell if you don’t really mean what you’re saying. Your best bet is to simply be honest and accept responsibility for your mistake. Don't laugh, joke, or try to brush off your tardiness as insignificant. Making light of the situation could be interpreted as a sign of disrespect.

End the conversation with a "thank you." Regardless of whether your boss chews you out or lets you off the hook, take a moment to express your gratitude. After all, they’re the reason you still have a job. Ingratiating yourself to them might might also help soften them up a little if they’re on the warpath over your late arrival. As a way of showing your appreciation for leniency, you might say something like, “Thank you for being so understanding. I promise it won’t happen again.” It can be tough to swallow your pride in front of your supervisor, but it’s the most diplomatic course of action, especially when you’re late as a result of your own actions.

Being Honest and Dependable

Avoid lying or making excuses. It can be tempting to make up a story to explain your tardiness, but resist the urge. The reason why you're late ultimately matters less than making it clear that you intend to do everything in your power to keep it from happening again. Besides, if your cover story is discovered to be false, it will only make you look worse. Even small embellishments could land you in hot water. All it would take is a radio traffic report to disprove your claim that you were late due to a pileup on the interstate. Focusing on how your actions have affected others tends to make a better impression than trying to downplay the mistake. "Thank you for adjusting your schedule on such short notice," for instance, sounds better than, "There was a big wreck on the interstate."

Wait until after meetings to apologize, if applicable. The only time you shouldn't say sorry right off the bat is when there’s an important meeting going on. In that case, it's best to just walk in and join the meeting in progress. Your apology can wait until afterwards. Make as little noise as possible as you slip in to avoid drawing any more unnecessary attention to yourself. Not only would apologizing during a meeting disrupt the proceedings, it would also add to your embarrassment by having to admit it in front of your higher-ups and coworkers.

Do your best to avoid being late in the future. Of course, everyone is late from time to time. If you start to develop a habit, however, you’ll inevitably come to be viewed as an unreliable employee. No matter how often or how sincerely you explain yourself, repeating your mistake suggests you're not actually sorry for what you've done. If necessary, start waking up half an hour earlier to give yourself a little cushion for your morning routine or commute. It’s possible that you could be reprimanded, penalized, or even fired for being chronically late.