Sometimes, employees are late. Sometimes YOU'RE late. It's a part office life--according to a recent CareerBuilder survey of HR managers and employees conducted by The Harris Poll, 1 in 4 works are late at least once a month, and for 10 percent, it's a weekly occurrence. The common reasons are no surprise: 51 percent of late employees have said traffic was a cause; 31 percent have overslept; and 28 percent have blamed bad weather. Also no surprise, employees get more punctual with age. Among workers aged 18 to 34, 38 percent have been late at least once a month compared to just 14 percent of their 45-and-older peers. Related: 5 things killing employee productivity There are myriad legitimate reasons for such occurrences, and every employer reacts differently based on their culture and policies. The majority of employers (60 percent) expect their employees to be on time every day, but it's more likely to get an employee fired in the South than the Northeast, where 48 percent of employers report having terminated a tardy employee versus just 38 percent. Such thinking is growingly at odds with employees' own philosophies. Among surveyed employees, 63 percent believe working 9 to 5 is an antiquated practice, and 88 percent favor flexible start and end times.

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8 bizarre excuses employees have given for missing work

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