To Call in or To Go in, that is the Question

A Note to Minions:

Obviously any type of flu or vomiting isn’t welcome at work.  It’s the fringe illness that confuses us – when is it better to suck it up or call in and flop back into bed.

Rule of thumb: if you’ll be just as miserable sitting at your desk at work as you would be staring at the TV all day, just go to work.  If you know that 6 more hours of sleep, curling up into a ball and staring at the ceiling is actually going to help, then it’s time to make the call.

Take sick days, but take them wisely:

 (a) When taking a vacation, add an extra day to your vacation request to allow for recovery – this saves you from having to take a surprise sick day when, inevitably, you need to recuperate.

 (b) Nip it in the bud: don’t be a hero if you feel yourself start to get worn down.  It’s better to take a day up front than to take five later on.

Remember – if you’re gone too much, employees may find you to be superfluous or replaceable.  You do not want to lose your job due to missing too much work. 

A Note to Supervisors:

I’ve had bosses that sent me home over a few sniffles.  I’ve also had bosses that kept me at work when I had a high fever and told me to take some Advil, we had a deadline.   

Make sure you have a plan in place for when staff is sick (i.e., backup for those deadlines).  Unless you are a one-person show with an assistant, there is no excuse for a company or firm not to have a backup plan (or at least two people who can do a specific job if need be).

It’s easy to conflict with staff over sick days.  However, unless a specific staff member is absent routinely, remember that you have what they don’t – the perks of not having to explain to your boss why you’re not coming in today.