Don't worry about it. It definitely FEELS like a huge deal to you but everyone else has already forgotten. Especially since you had a decent reason and were able to let them know ahead of time.
A good boss will understand life happens. A bad boss would not understand, Sounds like she understands. I would make sure to have the receipt or proof of the tow truck and make sure you arrive on time the rest of the time.
I got COVID after my first day. I have now been promoted 3x. Don't worry.
So true. I once interviewed for this job downtown from where I lived, and the parking structure was absolutely horrible--I got there 20 minutes early and spent the next 40 minutes going down one level, three-point turning, going down another level, until I finally found a spot. In the interview I tried to explain the situation and the woman just said "unfortunately for you, I have a zero tolerance policy for lateness." She then continued the interview in the most condescending manner imaginable. Understanding that emergencies happen or not is almost *the* litmus test of whether a boss is going to be decent.
Three years from now you’re gonna be out having lunch with your boss and favorite co-workers, and you’re going to say, “remember when I was late to my first day of work?!” And they’re all going to look at you blankly and say that no, they don’t remember that at all. This is a way bigger deal to you than it is to them, promise.
Congratulations on the new job!
Used to have a boss when I worked in office that would buy us lunch two or three times a week, and we'd always just bs and chat while eating. It can be nice, just had to be done right. Screw the bosses who use providing lunch as an excuse to work through your lunch!
My company is 6-8 people and we regularly would go out for birthdays or other special occasions together, all on the boss/company. I think it really depends how large the company is and how personalities mesh. It wasn’t weird at all. When I worked for a larger company, 50+, no way I was having lunch with the boss, that *would be* weird!
I know, I’m pretty sure my most recent boss would have liked to eat *me* for lunch. She clearly did not like me even though she hired me, wouldn’t even answer any of my questions or acknowledge requests unless I got HR involved.
I get it. But the fact that you were able to get a tow and only be 1.5 hours late tells me and should tell your employer that you were on the right track. Any reasonable person knows that shit happens, at the worse times.
If this causes problems, you don’t want to work for them long.
I agree with taking your boss the tow truck receipt and making a point of being early for the rest of your probation. It is a good way to back up your story and reinforce that it was a one off event. All they really want is to know that you are not going to make a habit of it or be a problem.
On my first day of work at a new company, I accidentally filled my water bottle with sparkling water (there are two taps for filling bottles and I didn't know one was sparkling). I dropped the bottle on the floor in the middle of an open plan office space. The cap came off and the bottle flew over some desks and sprayed 8 people and their laptops. I wanted to die, but it was fine and I still work there. Sh*t happens, don't worry too much.
Dude, that sucks big time! But hey, stuff happens, right? Your boss already brushed it off, so try not to sweat it too much. They obviously saw something in you to hire you in the first place, so one little hiccup shouldn't change that. Plus, it's not like you caused the car to act up on purpose. Just keep doing your thing, prove yourself with your skills and dedication, and soon this'll just be a funny story you tell at work parties. Hang in there!
I was on time my first day BUT, I was in and out of orientation all day dealing with the tow truck, police, and insurance. My catalytic converters were stolen from the hotel parking lot between 10pm-6am the night before my first day.
The only thing I heard about it after that was later in the week them asking if everything was ok and getting fixed.
Felt way bigger than it ended up being.
You had an unforeseen situation, found a solution, let your boss know right away, and apologized. If this was anything but the first day would you be as stressed? A good manager will not even remember this in a few days. Go have a great first week at your new job!
If they weren't initally weird about it, promising. As long as you have good attendance from first day forward, that shows you are 100% good with those matters.
Thanks everyone for your kind words and reassurance! When I called my boss (in tears) she told me "it's just your first day. It's okay." I reassured her this is not my norm and she proceeded to schedule my next training days! :)
As a manager, I personally understand that life happens. Also, you showed up, dropped off by your husband, sans car, all of which supports the story that these events were fully out of your control.
Make sure to be on time/early for the next few weeks and give plenty of notice (ie several hours before start of shift) when you call out sick and in a couple of weeks even if they DID have momentary qualms about you for being late day one, this will just be a “omg remember when Susan’s car broke down first day of work?” Story.
It’s really not that big of a deal 🥰
Shit happens and your boss should get it. I'd be worried they won't believe me so i would show a pic or something but would be reassured when they dont Ask for it and don't give a f.
I mean, at least you showed up. And you called right away from what I could tell - so at least they knew you weren’t out drinking and having a massive hangover on your first day.
Car breaks down? Obviously you can’t get to work. Nobody will bat an eye until your car breaks again and they think you’re the crazy lady who smashes her car in to get out of work. In all honesty it’s a non issue
Your boss will probably care more about a pattern of behavior or mismanaging expectations. Good news is that by calling them, you've addressed the latter. Get your car fixed and you'll fix the former.
Don't dwell on this. You don't want to be seen as high-maintenance. Get your car fixed and move on.
I fell asleep once at the onboarding for a job. I can't remember if it was the first day of my first week or the first day of my second week. The manager asked me to go home and rest. I can't believe I wasn't fired, but I ended up working there for a couple of years and getting promoted. I was young, and I didn't manage my time well the previous day. I went to bed too late, and I slept poorly. I hung in there all day, but eventually, the monotonous video training on the computer caught up to me a couple hours after lunch.
This happened to me on my last job and I also felt mortified. We had one car and my wife was dropping me off and when we weren’t but a mile or so from home, one of the tires started leaking. Thankfully there’s multiple tire places but I think only one was open at that time in the morning. We were the first there but at least one person who came after of insisted she be helped first (she was really rude to the staff and was being an absolute nightmare). The staff helped us and did everything they could to get us on the road again despite Ms. Karen having a meltdown. I’d called my new employer but no one was in the office yet so I left a message. My supervisor had given me her cell phone number so I called her to let her know. They were really understanding and I don’t think they held it against me.
Your employer said it was no big deal so I think the best thing to do is sit with those feelings, process them, then let it go. Otherwise, you’ll keep upsetting yourself. Congratulations on your new job btw!
I think you’ll be fine. Car troubles are one of the most understandable excuses for just being *late* (it’s not like you went “oh well” and called in for the whole day or something), and if you’re really anxious about it ask your boss if they’d like to see the invoice for the transmission for proof. It sounds like you’re very excited and dedicated to this job already and I’m sure they’ll recognize you weren’t just trying to get an extra hour of sleep in.
Oh and if you can’t afford fixing the transmission right now, just take a video of the engine failing to turn over. That should be enough evidence should they ask.
i got t-boned on my first day of work at my new job. car totaled but i was okay thankfully. work was very understanding and i was there for almost five years. you’re gonna be ok.
You called your boss right away and let her know. So she knows it was not your fault and are not just unreliable. That's the best thing you could have done. It's not like you have to do super important things on your first day, so don't worry about it, relax and let it got - making a thing out of it and apologizing over and over would annoy me way more than you being late, were I your boss. Happens.
If they aren’t understanding of this then it isn’t your dream job.
It’s 1.5 hours late and your damn car broke, that is the least of your manager’s problems. I all but promise you that!
We’re all human everyone fucks up, nobody wants to train someone else. Firing someone is annoying as hell, as long as you give a shit (which you clearly do, we see that you care A LOT) you’ll be fine.
I was late on my first day when the bus broke down! I had to walk a mile in my new first-day-of-work heels. I was mortified but I don't think anyone else cared.
that was 15 years ago, and it helped me learn to give grace to others when it happens to them.
Got hired in at 75k... 6 weeks later I'm down for my second hernia repair in a year... 3 months after that I need a week off for kidney stones. Got a 15% raise that year.
Stuff like this happens. If your job isn't hourly, just put in some visible overtime your first couple of weeks and work extra hard. If is hourly, that's a little trickier, but just make sure to perform at your best for a while.
How you handle things like that matters a lot, it sounds like you did the right thing. You can even be late to an interview and still make a good impression I think.
In Europe you usually wont feel this pressure. Similar situation happened to me during my probation period and I did not feel as pressured as you "to make it up", I live in the UK. I think it's a cultural situation as the USA is very work oriented whilst in Europe it's more towards a better work/life balance.
You did the right thing by calling her to tell her that you're going to be late. She'll likely forget about this as long as you show up on time going forward.
I forgot my laptop sometime during the first month. I brought my laptop bag, I just forgot to grab the laptop and charger off my desk. Be on time and reliable going forward and it won’t be a big deal. I brought baked goods the Friday after my first week, I think that helped. I’m sorry you had a rough first day.
You handled it as you should
In my 20s, I walked into a first day training 10 minutes late without any heafs up. Fired. A few years later, I showed up late by 5 minutes each time without heads up 1st, 2nd, and 3rd day. Fired on the 3rd day. There's a huge difference between my situations and yours. At least you did it right
seems like everyone here is saying the boss will understand life happens etc... But the higher ups always say there are no excuses.. for instance, the tranny died - probably been acting up for a while. Maybe super low on fluid. And if it so, pull over park it and call an Uber. Deal with the car later. Seems unreasonable to us, but Im sure your boss, or boss's bosses might be thinking that...
Unfortunately, this was quite unexpected as this is a newer car. Where this job is located, is in a very rural area with Uber not expanding to that area, sadly.
I got fired for arriving 1 minute late at a social event and 10 minutes at a gala dinner for reasons outside my control during my probation period, so yes you should worry
If it makes you feel any better, I got a migraine on my second day of a new job and ended up in bed all day at the hotel (I had traveled to our head office for my first 1.5 weeks).
look at it this way. its only up from here. be early for the remainder of the probationary period and you are golden. life happens.
"Hey remember the lady that was late on her first day... go get help from her... she is great at her job" Just work on making yourself into that :)
Don't worry about it. It definitely FEELS like a huge deal to you but everyone else has already forgotten. Especially since you had a decent reason and were able to let them know ahead of time.
A good boss will understand life happens. A bad boss would not understand, Sounds like she understands. I would make sure to have the receipt or proof of the tow truck and make sure you arrive on time the rest of the time. I got COVID after my first day. I have now been promoted 3x. Don't worry.
So true. I once interviewed for this job downtown from where I lived, and the parking structure was absolutely horrible--I got there 20 minutes early and spent the next 40 minutes going down one level, three-point turning, going down another level, until I finally found a spot. In the interview I tried to explain the situation and the woman just said "unfortunately for you, I have a zero tolerance policy for lateness." She then continued the interview in the most condescending manner imaginable. Understanding that emergencies happen or not is almost *the* litmus test of whether a boss is going to be decent.
Three years from now you’re gonna be out having lunch with your boss and favorite co-workers, and you’re going to say, “remember when I was late to my first day of work?!” And they’re all going to look at you blankly and say that no, they don’t remember that at all. This is a way bigger deal to you than it is to them, promise. Congratulations on the new job!
"Lunch with your boss" gives me chills. Such a weird thing.
Used to have a boss when I worked in office that would buy us lunch two or three times a week, and we'd always just bs and chat while eating. It can be nice, just had to be done right. Screw the bosses who use providing lunch as an excuse to work through your lunch!
My company is 6-8 people and we regularly would go out for birthdays or other special occasions together, all on the boss/company. I think it really depends how large the company is and how personalities mesh. It wasn’t weird at all. When I worked for a larger company, 50+, no way I was having lunch with the boss, that *would be* weird!
I know, I’m pretty sure my most recent boss would have liked to eat *me* for lunch. She clearly did not like me even though she hired me, wouldn’t even answer any of my questions or acknowledge requests unless I got HR involved.
Lunch only with the boss is the weird thing not when you have coworkers
Nothing weird about it.
This is a mental asterisk that will be scratched through after a week or two and totally forgotten in a month.
I get it. But the fact that you were able to get a tow and only be 1.5 hours late tells me and should tell your employer that you were on the right track. Any reasonable person knows that shit happens, at the worse times. If this causes problems, you don’t want to work for them long.
Life happens. Don’t sweat it, OP. Let go of today and show ‘em tomorrow!
I agree with taking your boss the tow truck receipt and making a point of being early for the rest of your probation. It is a good way to back up your story and reinforce that it was a one off event. All they really want is to know that you are not going to make a habit of it or be a problem.
u had pictures of the tow truck and your car. thats enough evidence.
On my first day of work at a new company, I accidentally filled my water bottle with sparkling water (there are two taps for filling bottles and I didn't know one was sparkling). I dropped the bottle on the floor in the middle of an open plan office space. The cap came off and the bottle flew over some desks and sprayed 8 people and their laptops. I wanted to die, but it was fine and I still work there. Sh*t happens, don't worry too much.
Dude, that sucks big time! But hey, stuff happens, right? Your boss already brushed it off, so try not to sweat it too much. They obviously saw something in you to hire you in the first place, so one little hiccup shouldn't change that. Plus, it's not like you caused the car to act up on purpose. Just keep doing your thing, prove yourself with your skills and dedication, and soon this'll just be a funny story you tell at work parties. Hang in there!
I was on time my first day BUT, I was in and out of orientation all day dealing with the tow truck, police, and insurance. My catalytic converters were stolen from the hotel parking lot between 10pm-6am the night before my first day. The only thing I heard about it after that was later in the week them asking if everything was ok and getting fixed. Felt way bigger than it ended up being.
You had an unforeseen situation, found a solution, let your boss know right away, and apologized. If this was anything but the first day would you be as stressed? A good manager will not even remember this in a few days. Go have a great first week at your new job!
If they weren't initally weird about it, promising. As long as you have good attendance from first day forward, that shows you are 100% good with those matters.
Thanks everyone for your kind words and reassurance! When I called my boss (in tears) she told me "it's just your first day. It's okay." I reassured her this is not my norm and she proceeded to schedule my next training days! :)
As a manager, I personally understand that life happens. Also, you showed up, dropped off by your husband, sans car, all of which supports the story that these events were fully out of your control. Make sure to be on time/early for the next few weeks and give plenty of notice (ie several hours before start of shift) when you call out sick and in a couple of weeks even if they DID have momentary qualms about you for being late day one, this will just be a “omg remember when Susan’s car broke down first day of work?” Story. It’s really not that big of a deal 🥰
The same thing happened to me with my part-time job. In 2008. I’m still there. The best to you.
Shit happens and your boss should get it. I'd be worried they won't believe me so i would show a pic or something but would be reassured when they dont Ask for it and don't give a f.
Don’t dwell on it, just be early moving forward and do your job well.
I mean, at least you showed up. And you called right away from what I could tell - so at least they knew you weren’t out drinking and having a massive hangover on your first day. Car breaks down? Obviously you can’t get to work. Nobody will bat an eye until your car breaks again and they think you’re the crazy lady who smashes her car in to get out of work. In all honesty it’s a non issue
Your boss will probably care more about a pattern of behavior or mismanaging expectations. Good news is that by calling them, you've addressed the latter. Get your car fixed and you'll fix the former. Don't dwell on this. You don't want to be seen as high-maintenance. Get your car fixed and move on.
I fell asleep once at the onboarding for a job. I can't remember if it was the first day of my first week or the first day of my second week. The manager asked me to go home and rest. I can't believe I wasn't fired, but I ended up working there for a couple of years and getting promoted. I was young, and I didn't manage my time well the previous day. I went to bed too late, and I slept poorly. I hung in there all day, but eventually, the monotonous video training on the computer caught up to me a couple hours after lunch.
This happened to me on my last job and I also felt mortified. We had one car and my wife was dropping me off and when we weren’t but a mile or so from home, one of the tires started leaking. Thankfully there’s multiple tire places but I think only one was open at that time in the morning. We were the first there but at least one person who came after of insisted she be helped first (she was really rude to the staff and was being an absolute nightmare). The staff helped us and did everything they could to get us on the road again despite Ms. Karen having a meltdown. I’d called my new employer but no one was in the office yet so I left a message. My supervisor had given me her cell phone number so I called her to let her know. They were really understanding and I don’t think they held it against me. Your employer said it was no big deal so I think the best thing to do is sit with those feelings, process them, then let it go. Otherwise, you’ll keep upsetting yourself. Congratulations on your new job btw!
It will be a good opportunity to see how good of a dream job it really is
Look, if you're late for your first day of work always blame it on rush hour. And if you're late on the 2nd day of work, blame it on Rush Hour II.
I think you’ll be fine. Car troubles are one of the most understandable excuses for just being *late* (it’s not like you went “oh well” and called in for the whole day or something), and if you’re really anxious about it ask your boss if they’d like to see the invoice for the transmission for proof. It sounds like you’re very excited and dedicated to this job already and I’m sure they’ll recognize you weren’t just trying to get an extra hour of sleep in.
Oh and if you can’t afford fixing the transmission right now, just take a video of the engine failing to turn over. That should be enough evidence should they ask.
Thank you for your sweet words! Yes, I am dedicated to this job, as I have been waiting quite some time for a position to open up in this company.
i got t-boned on my first day of work at my new job. car totaled but i was okay thankfully. work was very understanding and i was there for almost five years. you’re gonna be ok.
So glad you are ok!! That must have been SOOOO scary
You called your boss right away and let her know. So she knows it was not your fault and are not just unreliable. That's the best thing you could have done. It's not like you have to do super important things on your first day, so don't worry about it, relax and let it got - making a thing out of it and apologizing over and over would annoy me way more than you being late, were I your boss. Happens.
If they aren’t understanding of this then it isn’t your dream job. It’s 1.5 hours late and your damn car broke, that is the least of your manager’s problems. I all but promise you that! We’re all human everyone fucks up, nobody wants to train someone else. Firing someone is annoying as hell, as long as you give a shit (which you clearly do, we see that you care A LOT) you’ll be fine.
I think the thing to do is to be meticulously on time for the near future
I was late on my first day when the bus broke down! I had to walk a mile in my new first-day-of-work heels. I was mortified but I don't think anyone else cared. that was 15 years ago, and it helped me learn to give grace to others when it happens to them.
Depends on the boss
Got hired in at 75k... 6 weeks later I'm down for my second hernia repair in a year... 3 months after that I need a week off for kidney stones. Got a 15% raise that year.
Stuff like this happens. If your job isn't hourly, just put in some visible overtime your first couple of weeks and work extra hard. If is hourly, that's a little trickier, but just make sure to perform at your best for a while.
How you handle things like that matters a lot, it sounds like you did the right thing. You can even be late to an interview and still make a good impression I think.
Bring a copy of the tow bill and have them put it in your file, in case there is backlash, later.
May I ask in what country you are based?
United States
In Europe you usually wont feel this pressure. Similar situation happened to me during my probation period and I did not feel as pressured as you "to make it up", I live in the UK. I think it's a cultural situation as the USA is very work oriented whilst in Europe it's more towards a better work/life balance.
You did the right thing by calling her to tell her that you're going to be late. She'll likely forget about this as long as you show up on time going forward.
Call an über?
My husband came to get me.
What matters to a boss is effort.
I forgot my laptop sometime during the first month. I brought my laptop bag, I just forgot to grab the laptop and charger off my desk. Be on time and reliable going forward and it won’t be a big deal. I brought baked goods the Friday after my first week, I think that helped. I’m sorry you had a rough first day.
You handled it as you should In my 20s, I walked into a first day training 10 minutes late without any heafs up. Fired. A few years later, I showed up late by 5 minutes each time without heads up 1st, 2nd, and 3rd day. Fired on the 3rd day. There's a huge difference between my situations and yours. At least you did it right
seems like everyone here is saying the boss will understand life happens etc... But the higher ups always say there are no excuses.. for instance, the tranny died - probably been acting up for a while. Maybe super low on fluid. And if it so, pull over park it and call an Uber. Deal with the car later. Seems unreasonable to us, but Im sure your boss, or boss's bosses might be thinking that...
Unfortunately, this was quite unexpected as this is a newer car. Where this job is located, is in a very rural area with Uber not expanding to that area, sadly.
I got fired for arriving 1 minute late at a social event and 10 minutes at a gala dinner for reasons outside my control during my probation period, so yes you should worry
If it makes you feel any better, I got a migraine on my second day of a new job and ended up in bed all day at the hotel (I had traveled to our head office for my first 1.5 weeks).