How to Call in Sick
Think of your co-workers., Gauge your potential effectiveness., Consider your options., Prepare before a sick day arrives.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Think of your co-workers.
Even if you aren’t best buddies with everyone in your workplace, hopefully there isn’t anyone you want to see fall ill.
At very least, think about the hassles it will cause you if half your office is sick and absent/unproductive, all because of you.
Stay home if you are contagious.
If you’re coughing, sneezing, have a runny nose, or have an open wound, don’t go into work.Think about how you feel when you’re healthy and the guy in the next cubicle is hacking all day and sneezes on the copy machine.
Don't however, confuse cold symptoms with seasonal allergies, which are not contagious and (under normal circumstances) not usually worthy of a sick day.
Both maladies involve the runny/stuffy nose and sneezing, but allergies should not bring on a fever or body aches, among other differences.
Talk to your doctor if you seem to get a lasting cold at the same time(s) each year; it may be allergies.Be particularly conscientious about any colleagues that may be of higher risk for illness or infection.
Co-workers who are pregnant, immune-compromised, or undergoing cancer treatments, for instance, are more likely to fall ill and face serious complications.Don’t feel guilty about giving everyone a little extra work in your absence.
You are doing them a favor by keeping your germs at home. -
Step 2: Gauge your potential effectiveness.
If you can’t stand up, see straight, stay awake, or go ten minutes without running for the toilet, how helpful are you going to be at work anyway? Your boss might not like you taking a sick day, but he/she also won’t be happy if you are useless the entire day.
It probably serves you (and your employment) best to be productive when present and absent when unproductive.That said, if you called in sick every time you felt less than 100%, you’d hardly ever go in at all.
Determine whether you can put in a legitimate, if not necessarily exceptional, day of work. , Nowadays, many of us already do much of our work from home or can do so if necessary.
Think about whether you need a work-from-home day or a no-work-at-all day.
Offer to work from home if your job duties permit it and you are contagious but not incapacitated.
However, don’t offer to work from home if you are simply too ill to work.
In these instances, rest is usually essential to helping you get better.If you are hesitant to call in sick at all, or to do so without offering to work from home, because of pressure from your supervisor(s), consider ways to advocate for more sensible sick-day policies at your job.
Talk to your co-workers about creating a united front regarding how paid sick days can actually improve productivity and morale., If you work as part of a “team” or are a supervisor yourself, you may be more hesitant to take a sick day when you should, out of fear that you’ll mess up everyone else’s workday as well.
If you are starting to feel lousy during a workday and suspect that tomorrow could be a sick day, create a “sick day list” of tasks for your colleagues/subordinates in your absence.
Mark it clearly and place it on your desk so it can be easily found the next day if you are out.
More generally, just keeping a list of “tasks in my absence” ready, updated, and accessible is probably a good idea.
You can provide direction and leadership even in your absence. -
Step 3: Consider your options.
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Step 4: Prepare before a sick day arrives.
Detailed Guide
Even if you aren’t best buddies with everyone in your workplace, hopefully there isn’t anyone you want to see fall ill.
At very least, think about the hassles it will cause you if half your office is sick and absent/unproductive, all because of you.
Stay home if you are contagious.
If you’re coughing, sneezing, have a runny nose, or have an open wound, don’t go into work.Think about how you feel when you’re healthy and the guy in the next cubicle is hacking all day and sneezes on the copy machine.
Don't however, confuse cold symptoms with seasonal allergies, which are not contagious and (under normal circumstances) not usually worthy of a sick day.
Both maladies involve the runny/stuffy nose and sneezing, but allergies should not bring on a fever or body aches, among other differences.
Talk to your doctor if you seem to get a lasting cold at the same time(s) each year; it may be allergies.Be particularly conscientious about any colleagues that may be of higher risk for illness or infection.
Co-workers who are pregnant, immune-compromised, or undergoing cancer treatments, for instance, are more likely to fall ill and face serious complications.Don’t feel guilty about giving everyone a little extra work in your absence.
You are doing them a favor by keeping your germs at home.
If you can’t stand up, see straight, stay awake, or go ten minutes without running for the toilet, how helpful are you going to be at work anyway? Your boss might not like you taking a sick day, but he/she also won’t be happy if you are useless the entire day.
It probably serves you (and your employment) best to be productive when present and absent when unproductive.That said, if you called in sick every time you felt less than 100%, you’d hardly ever go in at all.
Determine whether you can put in a legitimate, if not necessarily exceptional, day of work. , Nowadays, many of us already do much of our work from home or can do so if necessary.
Think about whether you need a work-from-home day or a no-work-at-all day.
Offer to work from home if your job duties permit it and you are contagious but not incapacitated.
However, don’t offer to work from home if you are simply too ill to work.
In these instances, rest is usually essential to helping you get better.If you are hesitant to call in sick at all, or to do so without offering to work from home, because of pressure from your supervisor(s), consider ways to advocate for more sensible sick-day policies at your job.
Talk to your co-workers about creating a united front regarding how paid sick days can actually improve productivity and morale., If you work as part of a “team” or are a supervisor yourself, you may be more hesitant to take a sick day when you should, out of fear that you’ll mess up everyone else’s workday as well.
If you are starting to feel lousy during a workday and suspect that tomorrow could be a sick day, create a “sick day list” of tasks for your colleagues/subordinates in your absence.
Mark it clearly and place it on your desk so it can be easily found the next day if you are out.
More generally, just keeping a list of “tasks in my absence” ready, updated, and accessible is probably a good idea.
You can provide direction and leadership even in your absence.
About the Author
Larry Ortiz
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow organization tutorials.
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