London, Nov 19 The next time you arrive late for work, don't start giving excuses to your boss, for a new study has found that employers don't believe excuses for not being in on time.

The study involving 1,000 employers showed that just seven per cent of them trusted the reasons staff gives for being late.

One in five respondents said long, over-complicated stories were the biggest giveaway.

Almost a third said avoiding eye contact was another.

A fifth of bosses said hearing the same excuse again and again made it less convincing, while 12 per cent said any excuses given on a Monday morning were even less believable.

Nearly two-thirds of employers believe they were experienced enough to tell when a member of staff is lying about why they were delayed.

The researchers also uncovered 10 weakest excuses. Topping the list was being unable to shut a window.

Then came a broken burglar alarm followed by sick pets, spillages and, at number five, claiming to be snowed in.

However, female employers were found to be more trusting, with eight per cent fully believing the excuses staff give compared to just six per cent of male bosses.

"As a nation, problems within our homes certainly seem to be a common reason given for lateness," the Daily Express quoted Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at esure home insurance, which compiled the study, as saying.

"If we are to believe even half the excuses included in this study, then we anticipate a lot of calls about emergency home cover or claims for accidental damage this winter," he added. (ANI)