Getting sick sucks. It’s particularly frustrating when it happens and you have to work the next day. Agonizing over whether to stay home and let your boss know you’ll be out of commission for the next day (or three) is a tough decision. For many people a sick day forces you to admit you’re out of commission while you recuperate, whereas going to work allows you to maintain the illusion of productivity. For people like me, taking time off can be torturous (more in mind than body). The guilt (of not going into work) can be tough to handle
There’s been a lot written about when to call in sick and with this in mind, I’ve summarized the top three questions you can ask yourself before you make the tough call.
Am I actually sick?
If not, don’t be a turkey and take a sick day. Yeah, it’s funny to read about how to call in a bogus sick day on Gawker (tip: Don’t do it on Monday or Friday) but don’t be among the 52 percent (over half!) of Canadians surveyed in a recent study by Morneau Shepell who admitted they ditched work and called in a sick day when they weren’t ill. Such behavior doesn’t help anyone in the long term, because such behaviour can erode peoples’ trust in you and it also makes it that more difficult for those of us who actually need to recover.
Am I contagious?
If you are, don’t you dare go to work. Sure you can white knuckle it through like some sort of typhoid-Mary, thinking your boss is impressed as you muddle through the latest memo in and out of fever and hacking up a lung. But how impressed are you (and she) going to be when you infect a third of the floor with whatever disease you’re carrying. Think your co-workers will look on you kindly? According to Dr. Thomas Fekete, who is the section chief of infectious diseases at Temple University in Philadelphia in this Every Day Health article, “The most contagious period is at the beginning, before you get really sick.” So that means if you go to bed sick and wake up feeling crappy, treat yourself as patient zero and get isolated.
Am I really well enough to ‘work from home’?
According to one study quoted in the Guardian, if you are sick and go to work you may see your productivity dip by more than a third as your exhausted body battles disease while you actively do your job. With this in mind, while it may be tempting to just cut out the contagious element of your illness by isolating yourself and staying away from people, longer term a good rest, lots of liquids and no work may actually be more economically productive than trying to answer emails and solve tough work problems while sniffling miserably on your couch. Think about your state of mind when you’re making these decisions and give your body a break. According to US News’ Alison Green, “It’s important to note, though, that you shouldn’t offer to work from home when you really should be taking a sick day and not working at all. Many American workers increasingly feel that they have to work no matter how sick they are, but that’s bad for their health and productivity.”