I’m an glass intern for a fantastic arts center once a week. unfortunately they don’t pay me but it’s because of another situation that I had to force myself out of, ultimately I’m lucky to be the intern there, sometimes I think they don’t even have to pay me to be there, it’s awesome.
I found out my dad was in the hospital a day ago and my mom will be staying with him for the duration. I live on campus 2 hours away from them, my brother in california. My mom has been completely over run with taking care of my dad, grandparents, me and my brother and our dog. She had to put the dog back into the boarding center again 3 days after they got back from california.
My mom asked me for some help with the dog and my dad as she needs to take care of herself as well and apply to jobs. She asked if I can come home for a few days just to take care of the dog while my mom is in the hospital with my dad. How do I explain to my manager without going too far into detail (not sure if it’s unprofessional or not) about my dad, but that I need to take care of my dog for 4-5 days at home because of a family emergency.
They’re very understanding but some people react differently when you tell them you can’t come in because you need to care for your dog in a situation. How do I word this correctly and what Info should I leave out or keep in?
I’m not very good at not divulging into lots of detail because I know oversharing isn’t professional or whatnot, and they’re not my “friend” but my managers.
Edit: I just thought it’s important to note I just don’t like to lie to my managers about stuff like this, especially because they’ve been so nice and caring to me.
3 comments
sorry to hear that, really sucks.
you should tell them basically what happened, but leave out that your role is just taking care of the dog.
say something like we had a health emergency and my dad is in the hospital. my mom is staying with him in the hospital and im stepping in to help them maintain things and help my brother and grandparents. i need to take the next week off for this.
and then remind them how much you like the internship and emphasize you want to be there for the long term, appreciate their understanding. we’re hoping his condition will improve soon, but i will update you within the next few days.
after the last three years, you’d have to be a real jerk to give someone a hard time about needing some time off to deal with a health emergency. they should be fine with it.
“We’re having a family emergency, my parents need me at home.”
No mention of canines.
You really don’t need to say more than “My dad is in the hospital/I have a family health emergency. I’m needed at home for the next few days.”.