How to Call in Sick off Work

Undoubtedly, everyone has had days of malaise. It is especially unpleasant when it happens all of a sudden, but you already have to go to work. There are situations when this is not quite a disease, but rest is necessary like air. In such cases, you must warn your manager about the impossibility of working. But what is the best way to do this? How to call in sick? What to say? Below are some tips on how to deal with this situation.

How many sick days do you get

Before we start, let's understand what is the difference between paid sick leave, unpaid sick leave, and personal day off. 

Types of annual leave:

Labor legislation provides for two types of annual leave - basic and additional.

• Basic annual leave. Annual paid leave is a general concept that includes all types of paid vacations to which an employee is entitled during the working year.
• Additional annual leave. In addition to annual paid leave, certain categories of employees are also granted additional paid leave. It relies on those categories of workers who, due to the specifics of their work, need more time to restore their strength.

Now let's figure out what is unpaid sick leave. 

An unpaid sick leave is one of the types of leave provided for by labor relations between the employee and the employer.

How to call out sick

There are dozens of ways and reasons to call out sick. But we know the best ways to call out of work! 

1. Find a believable sick day excuse. If you really need a day off, even if you are not sick, you can take time off under the pretext of being unwell. It can be used for relaxation in favor of mental health as well as physical health. Many people forget about mental health, which is very important. It is worth noticing indisposition in time so that there is no burnout from work.

What other reasons could there be for taking a day off from work? It can be, for example, the day of the funeral of a loved one. There is no written rule that at such moments you can or cannot take time off from work. 

Another of these reasons may be morning sickness after a holiday with colleagues. But be careful, it doesn't take long to become a habit, as it will become suspicious and stop being a good reason to miss a day at work.

2. Honesty! No need to blatantly lie to the boss, it will not lead to anything good. By keeping a clear conscience, it will be easier not to get confused in the testimony and maintain a reputation.

3. Briefly and to the point. Your colleagues and manager do not need to know all the details about your ailment. It is better to fit the information in a short message, where it will be immediately clear what's what. But how to write about the disease, you will learn in the next section.

What to Say When Calling in Sick 

Now let's talk about how to tell your boss you're sick. Here are 2 examples on how to ask for a sick day correctly:

“Hi Steve, I'm feeling a bit unwell this morning, but it will make it difficult to work. I will try to do some part of the work, but I will not be able to be in touch. Thank you for your understanding, tomorrow I will be as good as new!”

Or here's a slightly longer version:

“Hi Steve, I feel unwell in the morning, it looks like it's coronavirus. I think you understand the seriousness of the situation, I'm very worried so as not to infect colleagues. So I'd rather stay at home and take care of the treatment. I will do some light tasks to the best of my ability, but mostly I won't be able to communicate. Thank you for your understanding, see you when I can work again.”

Should you take sick leave when you just need a day off? 

Each of us has experienced situations when you are not sick, but you need a day of rest for yourself or urgent matters. Now the topic is no longer about "how to call out of work sick", but about other situations when you are not sick, but you need to leave. Above, we have already indicated a couple of such reasons as funerals, the need for mental rest, and so on.

It follows from this that, of course, it is possible and even necessary in some situations. More examples: your loved one fell ill, and besides you there is no one else to look after him, an urgent visit to the doctor (more on that later), the faucet leaked at home and drowned the neighbors, and much more. At such moments, it is simply physically impossible to come to work, there is no such possibility. Therefore, when absolutely necessary, there is a need for calling out of work. 

How to call off work in such cases? It's not always a good idea to be direct about a problem if you know it might not seem plausible enough to your boss. 

Let's get back to you going to the doctor. This is a familiar practice when it is impossible to make an appointment with a specialist for another day or time, but this is already necessary. In this case, it is better to warn the boss in advance about such a case. Here is an example of a message on this topic: “Hi Steve, it so happened that I made an appointment with a doctor at a time when I should be working. It happened because the rest of the time is not available for this specialist, and for me a doctor’s consultation is now urgent. I did everything in advance of my tasks and organized everything so that my colleagues could cope without me even in extreme cases. Thank you for your understanding."