When calling in sick to work, be direct and concise, stating your inability to come in due to illness. Inform your supervisor or HR the nature of your illness and when you expect to return.
By Brad Nakase, Attorney
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Calling in sick for work requires professionalism, clarity, and consideration. Communicating clearly and respectfully to your employer about reasons for calling in sick to work shows professionalism. You may call in sick to work by telephone and always document your communication with an clear and concise email to your supervisor or HR your inability to work; communicate your commitment to resume work duties upon recovery is crucial for maintaining professionalism and managing work expectations. In this article, our San Diego employment attorney discusses the steps you should take to call in sick to work.
It is good practice to let an employer or supervisor know about a planned absence as soon as possible. For example, if an employee catches a cold on Friday and knows that he will not be coming into work on Monday, he should call, email, or text his employer, letting he or she know that he will be absent from work. Similarly, if an employee is planning to take a day off to attend her child’s school graduation, she should let her employer know a week or two ahead of time, to allow her employer time to accommodate her absence from the office.
Depending on the workplace, some employers have preferred methods of contact. Restaurant managers or barbers, for example, may not use email often. For them, contact by phone is probably best. An office manager would be best reached by email, conversely. The exception to this is if a workplace has a standard method of calling out of work. For instance, a manager prefers to be contacted by text because he always has his phone on him.
An employee should keep it brief when explaining to an employer why he or she will miss work. For instance, when calling out sick, an employee does not need to give his boss a rundown of his symptoms or how he diagnosed himself using WebMD. All he needs to say is that he is sick and staying home to get better. It is also good practice to show an interest in getting back to work soon.
Example A: At breakfast time, Ian sends a message to his employer saying, “Hey boss, I think I have an infection. I have a fever and some kind of fungus growing on my toe. I looked it up online but can’t identify it. Reddit doesn’t know either. Anyway, I’m going to head to the doctor to get some meds and have a sample taken from my toe. Maybe it’s just a wart. Will let you know.”
Bad. TMI, Ian.
Example B: Gillian sends an email to her boss the night before work saying, “Hi Kerry, I’ve come down with a fever and am not feeling too well, so I won’t be in the office tomorrow. I’ve talked to Gemma and she knows what to do on the project until I’m back in.”
Good. Gillian is brief and considerate.
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