Employers Share Top Ten Most Outrageous Excuses Workers Gave for Arriving Late to Work in New CareerBuilder Survey

STOCKHOLM, July 12, 2010 - In today's tough economic climate, where productivity and resources are
being closely scrutinized, employers are taking more notice of punctuality.
Twenty-seven per cent of business leaders in Sweden reported they are paying
more attention to what time workers arrive than they had in healthier
economic cycles. Eleven per cent of employers said they would terminate an
employee who was late two or three times while 12 per cent would terminate
the employee for being tardy four or five times. The study was conducted from
29 April to 7 May 2010 on behalf of CareerBuilder.se and included more than
100 Swedish business leaders across industries.

While employers would prefer workers to clock in at their designated
start time, many are willing to afford workers with some flexibility.
Forty-four per cent of Swedish employers said they didn't care if their
employees are running late as long as their work is completed on time with
good quality.

When asked to share the most unusual excuses workers gave to explain
their late arrivals, European employers offered the following real-life
examples:

    - Employee said there was a bank robbery in front of his house.
    - Employee was delayed by volcanic ash.
    - Employee was concerned about an impending comet impact.
    - Employee reported that a horse jumped over a hedge straight on
      top of her car.
    - Employee's cat was stuck in the cat flap.
    - Employee's house was on fire.
    - Employee's car was blocked in by a stolen car and the police were
      taking fingerprints.
    - Employee had difficulty adjusting to the climate change from
      winter to summer.
    - Employee said someone moved his teeth.
    - Employee said, "I always leave at the same time. Sometimes I'm
      late, sometimes I'm not. I can't figure it out."

The survey illustrates the importance of being present in the office
during tough economic times. Arriving on time demonstrates commitment and
engagement and it is crucial that employees have an understanding of what
their managers expect of them. Naturally, a professional manager will assess
your productivity rather than your time spent at work. However, if your line
of work is in a store, a reception or other types of scheduled work,
punctuality is essential. Late arrivals signal irresponsibility and risks you
being perceived as unreliable. However entertaining creative excuses may be,
it is preferable to be on time if you care about your job, says Anders
Selvehed, Managing Director for CareerBuilder Sweden.

    Three Tips for Getting to Work on Time

    1) Plan ahead. Set everything you need to get out the door in one place
       the night before. If you drive to work, make sure you have a full
       tank of gas.

    2) Limit distractions. Turn off the TV or computer. Save phone calls for
       the commute.

    3) Consider an alternate work arrangement. Telecommuting enables you to
       start your workday right away.

Survey Methodology

An online survey of 625 business leaders in Sweden, the UK, France,
Germany and Italy was conducted in a range of organizations between 29 April
and 14 May. Business leaders included C-level executives, directors and
senior managers with recruitment responsibilities. The survey was conducted
online by Shape the Future, a market research agency based near London which
specialises in high speed online research.

The total sample size in Sweden was 101, giving a margin of error of 9.8
per cent at 95 per cent confidence. The survey was conducted strictly
according to the code of conduct of the UK’s Market Research Society.

About CareerBuilder.se

CareerBuilder.se is one of the most visited online job sites in Sweden.
Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy
Company (NYSE: MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder.se
powers the career centres for multiple Swedish sites that reach national,
local, industry and niche audiences. For more information about CareerBuilder
products and services, visit www.careerbuilder.se.

    Press Contacts:

    Anders Selvehed
    vd, CareerBuilder Nordic
    08-522 167 00
    Anders.selvehed@careerbuilder.se

    Peter Andersson
    LEWIS PR
    08-517 00 483
    petera@lewispr.com

Anders Selvehed, vd, CareerBuilder Nordic, 08-522-167-00, Anders.selvehed at careerbuilder.se; or Peter Andersson of LEWIS PR, 08-517-00-483, petera at lewispr.com, for CareerBuilder.se