In today's high-demand job market, many workers feel compelled to keep working even when they are sick; in the West this phenomenon is called presenteeism. At the same time, however, a third of US workers admit that they take a day off by pretending to be sick, even though they are not. Whatever your condition, whether it's really unwell or just in need of a “mental health day”, you need to follow a reasonable procedure in determining when and how to ask for a leave of absence from work on the grounds of illness, to keep both your boss and co-workers happy. and healthy.
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Method 1 of 3: Deciding Whether to Get Sick “At Home”
Step 1. Think of your co-workers
Even if you're not everyone's best friend at work, you certainly don't expect anyone to get sick. At the very least, think about the hassles you will experience if half the office is sick and absent/unproductive because of you.
- Rest at home if your illness is contagious. If you are coughing, sneezing, runny nose, or have an open wound, don't go to work. Think about how you would feel if you were healthy and the colleague in the side cubicle coughed badly all day and sneezed near the coffee machine.
- However, don't confuse cold symptoms with seasonal allergies, which aren't contagious (under normal circumstances) and don't usually qualify for sick leave. Both diseases involve runny/stuffy nose and sneezing, but among their differences, allergies are not accompanied by fever or body aches. Talk to your doctor if you seem to have a cold that lasts at the same time every year; maybe it's actually an allergy.
- Watch out for colleagues who may be at higher risk of illness or infection. For example, coworkers who are pregnant, have weak immunity, or are undergoing cancer treatment, are more likely to fall ill and face serious complications.
- Don't feel guilty if your coworker does a little extra work in your absence. In fact, by keeping your germs at home, you are helping them.
Step 2. Measure your potential effectiveness
If you can't stand, look straight, stay awake, or spend ten minutes without going to the toilet, how can you possibly help at work?
- Your boss may not like it when you ask for a leave of absence because you're sick, but he also won't be happy if you can't do anything all day. It may be better for you (and your boss) if you are productive when you come to work and not when you are not.
- This means that if you ask for permission to be sick every time you feel your body is less than 100%, you will hardly come to work at all. Determine if you can work weekdays, if nothing else is out of the ordinary.
Step 3. Consider your options
Today many of us complete work from home or can do it at home if needed. Think about whether you need a work from home permit or no work permit at all.
- Offer to work from home if your job allows and your condition is contagious but not disabling.
- But don't offer to work from home if you're too sick to work. In this case, rest is very important so that your condition is better.
- If you are hesitant to ask for sick leave or to ask for leave without offering to work from home because of pressure from your supervisor, consider how to propose a more reasonable sick leave policy in your workplace. Talk to coworkers about forming some kind of union to suggest that paid sick leave can actually increase employee productivity and morale.
Step 4. Prepare before you get sick
If you work as part of a “team” or you are a supervisor yourself, you may be hesitant to step in when you should be taking sick leave for fear of ruining everyone's work day.
- If you start to feel unwell during the workday and expect to be sick tomorrow, make a “list” of tasks for colleagues/subordinates when you are absent. Mark them clearly and place them on your desk so they're easy to find the next day when you're not in.
- Generally, it's a good idea to have an always-up-to-date and accessible “to do when I'm absent” list. You can provide directions and hints even when you're not logged in.
Method 2 of 3: Obeying Sick Leave Etiquette
Step 1. Observe your boss's response to sick leave
Does he react strongly if someone asks to be absent from work because of any illness other than Ebola? Does he nag when his employees ask permission via text message or email instead of the phone? Use these observations to help you determine when and how you should seek sick leave.
- Worrying about angering employers by calling for sick leave is one reason the average American worker only takes sick leave five days per year, even though they are entitled to up to eight or nine days.
- In the best-case scenario, you'll feel that your fears are unfounded, because your boss actually responds favorably to a fairly reasonable sick leave.
- In the worst case scenario, you have to be persistent and insistent on getting sick leave, even when you really need it.
Step 2. Assume that you have to call
If you're lucky, your boss will accept requests for sick leave via text message or email. But it's best if you talk privately over the phone.
- In most instances, calling will give your request greater respect, seriousness, and validity.
- Deciding when to call is equally important. You don't want to call too early-you might wake your boss up, or give the impression that you weren't even trying to leave. However, calling too late is also considered disrespectful because it causes everyone to get flustered by your last-minute absence.
- The best time to call is between your usual time of getting up and leaving. It gives the impression that, “I tried, but obviously I can't leave today.”
Step 3. Don't pretend
Yes, your boss wants to give the impression that you are really sick, but he doesn't need details about your morning spent on the toilet. State your reasons for staying at home in a clear, direct, and concise manner.
- By getting to know your boss and knowing how he or she responds to requests for sick leave, you'll have a better idea of how much detail you need to provide regarding certain illnesses and symptoms.
- Faking or exaggerating your symptoms to make them bigger is not a good idea, unless you have confidence in your acting skills. In fact, you will invite suspicion instead of sympathy if your "hoarse voice" or "severe cough" sounds artificial, even if you do have milder symptoms.
- Apologize for the inconvenience you've caused, but don't feel guilty if you're really sick and can't go. Remember, you are actually doing good to other people.
Step 4. Be careful when returning to work
You don't need to give explicit details about the severity of your illness, or show any residual symptoms to prove why you didn't show up for work the previous day (and don't act like you're in much better shape, either). On the other hand, a few polite pleasantries will suffice.
- Appreciate all the efforts of coworkers to do your job during your absence, and show remorse for the inconvenience you have caused.
- In the same way, show that you care about your co-workers' health by modeling hygiene practices when you return to work. Wash your hands as if you were a surgeon performing an operation, and use the contents of the antiseptic gel bottle on your workbench until it runs out. Complete the remaining symptoms of the disease that may still be attached to you.
Method 3 of 3: Get Sick When You're Not Sick
Step 1. Choose the right day to get sick
If you've decided you want to seek sick leave, you should check your calendar a few days in advance to make sure that the day you've chosen isn't the perfect day off. You can choose the exact day by using the following methods:
- Realize that if the day you choose is Friday or Monday, you'll have to ask very convincingly because it sounds like you're trying to arrange a weekend off for three days in a row.
- Make sure you haven't taken too many days off beforehand, whether you're really sick or not. You don't want to sound like someone who's always looking for a day off. Make sure you come to work without taking a break for at least two months before deciding to skip work.
- Don't pick a day that sucks or is a very important one, such as the day when a meeting is scheduled that everyone dreads, or when a client who doesn't fit in with anyone is about to show up. This clearly shows that you are trying to avoid the day.
- Don't pick a day for a major sporting event in your city. If everyone knows that you're a fan of a certain sports team and you really want to watch it, your excuses won't work.
- Don't choose the Monday after Sunday's soccer final. Most people will stay up late and party until dawn and your excuse for being sick will make it clear that you're actually drunk or exhausted, not sick.
Step 2. Start feigning illness the day before
Once you've chosen the day off you want, you'll need to show signs of impending illness when you worked the day before. If you work harder than usual or laugh out loud while relaxing in the coffee room one day and then ask to be seriously ill the next day, your boss and co-workers will be suspicious. That is, exaggerating the symptoms of the disease can be a very clear sign for superiors and coworkers, so only show mild indications.
- Cough or sneeze every few times.
- At lunch, casually say that you have no appetite.
- Disrupt your appearance a bit. For men, ruffle your own hair or don't tuck the shirt in your pants. For women, wear less makeup than usual and don't wash your hair to give a "tired" look. But don't overdo it-remember that you want to show that you're going to be sick, not reckless.
- Don't overtly show that you are sick. As soon as your coworkers hear you cough or sneeze, they'll ask you how you're doing. Try pretending you're okay. Just say, "No, I'm fine" or "I'm just a little tired today."
- If you are a big fan of coffee, drink tea of the day.
- Hold your head as if you have a headache.
- Bring medicine to work. Bring a bottle of pills to your workplace so that everyone can hear the sound of the pills shaking in the bottle when you take them out. You can also pretend to take the pill, but you have to be convincing.
- Try to be more quiet that day. Don't overdo it or be too friendly to everyone.
- If coworkers invite you to lunch or hang out after work, say thank you but say you're not interested.
- If it's Friday and you're planning to leave on Monday, at the end of the day say casually that you're not feeling well, but will definitely feel better after a weekend break. Then when you call for permission on Monday, you can say that you started feeling worse over the weekend and are now a little better, but not fully recovered.
Step 3. Get ready to call
Once you've started the "sick process" at work, you'll need to prepare how to ask for permission once you get home. You have to be prepared for whatever eventuality may come up when you call so that it doesn't invite suspicion.
- Know your illness inside and out. Do you have migraines, colds, or other ailments? Migraines or colds are good reasons. Don't choose an illness that is too complicated or difficult to describe, or one that may take a few days to heal, such as strep throat or food poisoning.
- Know your illness, but don't give too much detail. Your phone should be brief and make a good impression. If your boss asks, you can provide an answer.
- Be prepared to answer any questions your boss may ask so that you sound honest. Know when your illness started, predict how you will feel tomorrow, and what you will do that day to get better.
- Practice your conversation. You can even call a close friend to practice. You can write down what you're going to say to help with practice, but don't just read from the notes when actually calling your boss for permission.
Step 4. Call your boss, and make sure you get permission
This is the defining moment for your feigned illness. If you can give convincing reasons, you will be free at home. If you go the wrong way, at best your boss is angry and at worst a letter of dismissal. Call your boss at the right time and in the right way to increase your chances of success.
- Call your boss in the morning. After getting ready, you should call your boss in the morning and in a good manner. Don't call so early that it wakes him up and you're a nuisance. Call at the time you usually wake up, giving the impression that you wake up to go to work and realize that you don't feel well enough to leave.
- Make sick sounds on the phone. You have to sound reassuring and convey that you're really sick, whether you're talking directly to your boss or just leaving a message. There are several things you can do to sound like someone who is sick, including:
- Occasional coughing or sneezing while on the phone. Don't overdo it because a feigned cough sounds very obvious, but a cough or sneeze at the right time will do the trick.
- Make your voice hoarse. You can make this sound by yelling into the pillow until your throat hurts a little, or not drinking before the call.
- You can also make the call lying down with your head hanging upside down (for a cold sound), but make sure this position doesn't make you so dizzy that you forget what you're supposed to say.
Step 5. Pretend you're still sick when you come to work the next day
Showing up at work in top shape and excited will invite suspicion. Instead, you should pretend to be like someone who feels better after a cold, but still shows annoying signs of illness. Remember to practice hygiene so no one gets suspicious.
- Don't dress up like a normal day. Again, you don't have to look like a frivolous person, but your hair, face, and clothes should look a bit messy.
- Be a bit more reserved than usual.
- Blow your nose or cough every few times.
- Show remorse for having to leave work.
- Don't leave with fresh tan skin or new clothes. This clearly indicates that you are spending your day relaxing in the sun or shopping.
Tips
- Don't tell anyone in the office that you are lying or will lie. Even if you tell a close friend, there's still a chance that your boss will find out and you'll be in big trouble.
- If you ask for sick leave frequently, your boss will be suspicious of all the reasons for being sick so he will tighten the rules for everyone.
- Remember, personnel and management do pay close attention to employee absence due to illness, how long sick leave is taken, and the frequency and pattern of their illness.
- Do not often leave the house during sick leave. You can go to the convenience store in house pants, but don't let your boss meet after work.
