Great topic lead Leigh.  Many of these excuses could be easily eliminated with a little communication. I truly believe that most people want to do good. There are exceptions but for the most part people want to do a good job and be recognized for it.

A good manager is able to effectively communicate and document an employee's poor performance. Disciplinary action should never be a surprise. It should be the culmination of a process where the manager is sincerely working to change an employee's behavior for the betterment of the organization. That's it.

Too often, I see managers that do not want to do the daily work and the result is that they end up with a tough situation and create many of the common excuses you have outlined.

Doug