Hello Boss "cough cough"...It's me...

Let’s set a familiar scene.  It’s 6:20 am on a Monday.  Your alarm has gone off twice, and you’ve hit snooze both times.  You’re lying in your bed and your head is pounding like someone just hit it with a frying pan.  You have to be at work by 7:30 and all you want to do is cover your head with a pillow, throw the alarm clock across the room and close your eyes to escape the throbbing pain in your frontal lobe.  To do this however, you will have to do the one thing that many people hate doing...you will have to call in sick. 

For some people, calling in sick is no big deal.  Some people hardly ever take a sick day, so their boss understands that if they are calling in, they must really be feeling under the weather.  Many companies have policies that allow you to do so, procedures that will ensure that your position is filled and some managers actually appreciate it when an employee calls in sick, as it likely averts a flu-pandemic in the workplace that can cost tens of thousands of dollars in lost productivity in a single year.   For other people however, well it’s not so cut and dry.  So for those people who find themselves lying in bed trying to decide what to do, below are a few tips that might help you.

#1 – DON’T GET SICK

If you missed my last blog post about the flu shot, now would be a great time to read it.  If you are “one of those” people that refuse to get the flu shot, please do other things that will help keep you healthy.   Eat well, take vitamins, wash your hands and stay away from sick people.  Not getting sick is the best away to avoid having to call in sick.

#2 – GET SOME SLEEP

Calling in sick because you are too tired to wake up is simply unacceptable.  Let’s face it, morning comes at the same time every day.  If you don’t get the proper amount of sleep, or if you go out partying 3 times a week you are not going to be a morning person.  Yet mornings are when most jobs start.  By preparing yourself and living responsibly your immune system will stay strong, you will feel better in the mornings and you will make it to work on time.

#3 – BE RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY

Look, if you call in sick often, or every Super Bowl Monday, or if take a lot of single days off work, only to show up the next day completely recovered from some “nasty 24 hour bug” or a “terrible bout of food poisoning”, your manager will catch onto you very quickly.  If you are often late because “the power went out” or “traffic was awful this morning” you will not be considered a reliable and trustworthy employee.  Therefore every time you call in sick will be scrutinized.  You manager will always have that tone of disapproval and doubt and those days when you REALLY ARE SICK will be met with skepticism.  Remember the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf?

#4 – TRY AND MAKE IT IN

This tip goes out especially to those of you who are reading this that cannot afford to lose your job.  Maybe you don’t have your 90 days in, have a baby on the way and are living at home with your parents.  Maybe this one sick day could be the difference of getting promoted from part time to full time or even making it past that probationary period.  How do you know if you really are too sick to go to work?  Start by jumping in the shower, taking some Dayquil for that stuffy nose or a couple Tylenol or Advil for that headache.  These things really do work.  Many times just because you feel under the weather, doesn’t mean you can’t go to work.  Quite often, just by giving it an honest effort, you will find that a nice hot shower and some over the counter meds can make you feel a whole lot better. 

#5 – GO TO THE DOCTOR AND THEN STAY HOME AND REST

So if you’ve tried your best, but you have a fever of 102 degrees, a nasty sore throat and you are coughing up a lung, you should not be going to work.  Instead you should be on your way to the clinic to have a doctor check you over.  If it’s a simple virus you might need a couple days off work and some R&R, but if you need antibiotics it’s best that you get on them sooner than later.  Bronchitis can turn into pneumonia before you know it, and instead of a couple of days off work, you can find yourself out for a week or more, and if you get paid hourly or are docked pay after so many sick days, you won’t be happy when you find yourself shorted on pay day.

#6 – GET A NOTE

Ultimately, it comes down to this.  If you are a good employee who does their job, can be relied on to be on time and at work every day, calling in sick should never be an issue.  However, there are managers out there who despite all of your hard work and dependability, will still give you that disapproving tone on the phone, or tell you that you are really needed at work and try and force you into coming in sick.  For those managers, ask your doctor to write you a note.  If you really are sick, you can get one easily enough, and even if it costs you a couple of bucks, take it from me, it will quiet even the most difficult of bosses, leaving you with the time you need to get better and get back to work.

So the next time you are lying in bed in the morning trying to decide whether today is the day to call in sick, ask yourself this one question.  Who do I want to be?  If you know deep down that you aren’t really too sick to work, get yourself out of bed, rise above that laziness and get your butt to work.  However, if you can look deep inside of yourself, feel good about your decision and know that today is the day to call in sick, don’t hesitate.  Nobody should have to go to work if they are truly not fit to do so.