I need to communicate the fact that a co-worker is no longer engaged on a task, normally communicated as below:
[Customer], [Coworker] had to leave the office early today, so I'm
taking over for him.
However, [Coworker] was never even in the office because he was working from home. Is there a word (or phrase) for the idea "leave work early" that doesn't use the idea of location? Everything I've come up with seems clunky or incomplete. "Stop work" has some pretty negative connotations in my industry, so I need something else.
Best Answer
I would use the phrase "clock out." It clearly states that the coworker is not available for work-related tasks for the rest of the day. It makes no assumption as to the whereabouts of the coworker's workplace, be it from home office or the workplace office.
"Customer, Coworker had to clock out early today, so I'm taking over for him."