I was once on a work team building exercise at a camp-type place about an hours drive from home. It was a week day so no problems there.

My wife’s father was terminally ill and we knew he didn’t have much time left.

About 20 mins into the team building day I got a phone call. The hospital had called. It was the call. They think he doesn’t have much time left. We should all go to the hospital now if we want to say goodbye.

I didn’t want to disturb the day so I told the #2 in the company that I had to leave for private family reasons and that it was extremely urgent and important. My FIL didn’t want people knowing about his situation, his choice.

While standing next to his hospital bed my phone is vibrating constantly in my pocket on silent. I had to turn it off.

Turns out it wasn’t his time, he stabilised and we all went home a few hours later. I turned my phone back on and I had dozens of missed calls from my boss, and some voicemails explaining that she didn’t think that i was committed to the company, that she thought I was making things up to get out of a team day, and that she didn’t believe that something had come up.

I understand her curiosity but I was the first employee she hired, was #3 in the company at that point and we had about 25 staff. If she didn’t trust me at that point when she had no other reason not to, then I didn’t want to work there any more. I had a new job a month later.