Excuses can occur in every type of supervisor/employee interaction. Examples include a supervisor
Excuses can also arise in interactions between peers and between a team leader and a team member. In short, excuses occur in many different types of interaction situations and on an almost a daily basis.
Despite their frequency, few supervisors know how to handle excuses effectively. The three most common and ineffective ways supervisors deal with excuses are: (1) accept the excuse outright without question, (2) discount the excuse by suggesting it’s not important, or (3) argue about the legitimacy of the excuse.
In this session, you will learn to recognize and categorize common employee excuses into one of four types and guidelines for responding to each type. A job aid will also be provided listing the four categories of excuses and a definition of each, sample excuse statements, and guidelines for how to respond to each type of excuse.
This demo is based on HRDQ’s popular training resource Coaching Skills Inventory.
Coaching Skills Inventory
The goal of coaching is not to reprimand or give threats. The goal is to help redirect an employee’s behavior to improve future performance while continuing to build a relationship of mutual trust. The Coaching Skills Inventory is designed to assess a leader’s ability to use the skills needed for conducting effective coaching meetings.
Take 15% off at checkout with code SKILLSINVENTORY
Ken Phillips delivers all programs and workshops in his signature style: professional, engaging, and approachable.
Ken is the founder and CEO of Phillips Associates and the creator and chief architect of the Predictive Learning Analytics™ (PLA) learning evaluation methodology. He has more than 30 years of experience designing learning instruments and assessments, and he has authored more than a dozen published learning instruments. Ken also regularly speaks to Association for Talent Development (ATD) groups, university classes, and corporate L&D groups. Since 2008, he has presented at the ATD International Conference and, since 2013, at the annual Training Conference and Expo on topics related to the measurement and evaluation of learning.
Before pursuing a PhD in the combined fields of organizational behavior and educational administration at Northwestern University, Ken held management positions with two colleges and two national corporations. He has also written articles that have appeared in TD Magazine, Training Industry Magazine, and Training Today and is a contributing author to five books in the L&D field.
Ken earned the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP now CPTD) credential from ATD in 2006 as a pilot pioneer and re-certified in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018.

Training Tools for Developing Great People Skills
This event is sponsored by HRDQ. For 45 years HRDQ has provided research-based, off-the-shelf soft-skills training resources for classroom, virtual, and online training. From assessments and workshops to experiential hands-on games, HRDQ helps organizations improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and more.
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“Very informative training. The length of the training allowed it to be incorporated into a very busy day.”
Lisa C.
District Engineer
VDH-ODW
“I love how it got right to the point and made it very easy to understand. It boiled down a situation that could come in many different forms, three easy scenarios, with one correct answer.”
Robert B.
Employee Relations
Fluor
“This was great framing of an important issue that managers face!”
Paul C.
Assistant Director
UC Davis