How To Call Out Of Work: The Sneaky Ways To Ace A Sick Day

How to call out of work? This is very stressful, especially if it happens suddenly or you must do it too frequently. However, there is a way of handling it without showing your fragility at work.

Here, we will discuss some of the best ways to inform your employer about your absence from work.

This topic will cover everything from preparing for a sick day to writing an appropriate letter to your employer. If one falls victim to illness, family issues, or just needs a mental health day, we have much valuable information and advice for you.

Following this guidance will allow you to maintain professionalism and be respectful to your management while prioritizing your health.

Things that you must consider before you call out of work

You know the most important thing you must consider is your company policies, especially when calling in sick or missing work. Just go through your company policies. Your employer may have set a few protocols outlining whom you must contact when you are sick and how you must notify them.

The company policy also specifies how many sick days you can take in a year. It will also state whether you are going to be during the time of your sick leave.

In the UK, you may receive the entitlement named Statutory Sick Pay or SSP. All you must do is check your employment contract to find out whether you are entitled to any sick leave benefits.

Another thing that you must know is self-certification. Yes! You can definitely self-certify your absence. However, if you see that you have been unwell for more than seven days, in that case, you will need to provide a doctor’s note.

Note: Your GP fitness note would require including all the non-working days, such as weekends and public holidays.

Do you know that in the US, 68% of civilian workers are somewhat entitled to some form of paid sick leave? If we talk about the average entitlement, it comprises around eight days per year. However, some employers do not specify the maximum number of days.

So, you must check with your employers to determine the number of days you are entitled to the sick leave payments.

Some organizations allow to carry forward the unused sick leave to the next year.

Sick Leave Wages

Now the question comes: Do you get paid for the sick leave you are taking? The answer is yes! If you work in the UK, you are automatically entitled to sick leave when you cannot work due to illness.

However, there are no specific federal legal requirements for sick leave in the US.

In The UK

You get the entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay or SSP. This is applied for the days you are taking off due to sickness. These are the days when you might have worked if things were normal. The SSP does not include the first three days.

Other than that, you can also receive Occupational Sick Pay (OSP) at your company’s rate. You are allowed to take up to 28 weeks of SSP at a time. Moreover, you can also utilize your statutory annual leave when taking time off due to sickness.  

In The US

Things are different here in the US when it comes to sick leave. You may not find any federal legal requirements for paid sick leave. However, according to the Family and Medical Leave Act or FMLA, an employee must provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave due to certain medical situations.

Now, as an employee, you can use your paid leave as a substitute for sick or FMLA leave. Moreover, the employees earn an hour of paid sick leave after completing 30 hours. But? That depends on the business size.

How to Call in Sick to Work Professionally

When calling in sick to work, you must handle the situation very professionally. Firstly, you must notify your employer and let the employer know that you will need a day off as soon as possible.

Try to keep your message short and avoid telling too many details about your illness. The next thing that comes into play is communicating with your managers and supervisors. Just check the company policies, you can find the person you should notify about your sick leave. You can leave a call, email, text, and even a voicemail.

Now that you will be off for more than a day, let your employer know about this. Inform them about what you will miss and what you may need when you come back.

Some examples of what exactly you can say when you are calling out of work:

1. “I started feeling unwell yesterday evening, and I feel even worse this morning.”
2. “I’m experiencing some mental health challenges today and need to take a day off to focus on my well-being.”

What Your Boss Might Ask When You Call in Sick

The moment you call out of work, your boss might ask you questions such as:

• Why are you taking a sick Leave?
• What are the details about your sickness? Or how serious is your illness?
• May ask you to provide a doctor’s note if you will take sick leave for more than a day.

Employers can contact employees who are sick. However, the amount of contact is dependent on the employees and their circumstances.  

Handling Potential Questions

Here are some tips that you can follow to handle potential questions when you call out of work:

• Just try to be honest with your conditions but limit all the personal details.
• You can check the company HR’s handbook to understand all the policies.
• Always contact your supervisor and HR department when planning to take sick leave.
• Try to inform your teammates beforehand about your sick leave.

You must understand that you can expect questions about your health or why you were absent once you return to work.

How To Call Out of Work

Here are the following steps that you can use as a useful guide to call in sick to work:

Always Try to Use the Right Communication Channels

Communication is crucial, especially when you are sick. If you are a little under the weather or have any sign of burnout, you have the employee handbook to direct you to the next steps and further understand the internal communication policies.

In that handbook, you may also find the company policy for sick leave and the process you need to carry out. There are many organizations where you must inform your supervisor directly about your absence. Whereas other organizations provide online portals.

Inform Your Managers Quickly

If you plan to take time off, it is necessary to let your manager know about it right in time. You can leave one day’s notice or try to communicate as early as possible.

But? There is one thing that you must avoid: over-explaining. Your employer does not need to know all the details and symptoms or even the moves that you have made to make yourself feel better. Could you keep it simple? Just let them know why you aren’t coming to work. Trust me! That would suffice, too.

Don’t Forget to Keep Your Teammates in the Loop

Apart from your employer, your teammates must stay notified about the time you will be away from work. This way, they would be able to plan to re-distribute the workload when you are not around.

So, keep your teammates informed about your absence and the number of days you will not be working due to sickness.

Follow All the Company norms and Policies

Each company has its own call-out policies, which specifically highlight how and when you must notify your absence. This will also help you understand the consequences you may face if you take unreported or maybe frequent leaves.

The Follow-Up After Calling Out Of Work

After calling out work, you can follow up by:

• Communication with your team: You must let your team know that you are out and how they can communicate with you if any urgent arise!
• Minimize the contamination: If you are sick, you can ask if others must sanitize your desk and the surroundings before your return.
• Returning to work: Once you return from work, you will be expected to catch up on a lot of delayed projects. You can also write a return-to-work letter which will confirm your return date and if you are capable of resuming work.

What to Say When You Call in Sick: Email Example Templates

A sick day email is needed when an employee is feeling a little under the weather or maybe unable to come to work due to serious illness. The protocol is to call out of work. However, you can also send an email to your manager or supervisor.

So, what to include in your sick day email? Well, firstly, you must ensure to keep the email short as well as straightforward. In the following, I am going to fill you in with the details that you must include in your sick day email.

• The main reasons for your absence and the number of days of your sick leave.
• Whether or not you will be able to answer urgent calls and emails.
• Doctor’s note, only if it is needed.
• The name and contact of the person who is going to handle your workload.

Now, in the next section, i am going to provide you the email samples of sick day emails.

Hi [Name of your manager or supervisor],I’m sending you this email to inform you that I can’t make it to work today, [date], because of [illness]. If something urgent comes up, I’ll be able to answer emails but feel free to contact [name of teammate], who will be in charge of my workload today, to make sure that all deadlines are met.Thank you for understanding,[Your name]

Hi [Your Boss’s Name],I woke up with a high fever and will be taking a paid sick day to rest and protect my fellow employees.I’ve created an out-of-message so any urgent emails will get filtered to the correct coworkers, and I’ve cc’d human resources on this email per the instructions in our employee handbook.I appreciate your understanding, and I hope to feel better soon!Best,[Your Name]

Hi [Your Boss’s Name],Unfortunately, I’ve woken up sick and will be taking the day to rest and recover. I’ll work as I am able; however, I’ve asked [Name of Colleague] to be the point person for today’s department meeting since she’s updated on our current projects.Please let me know if you have any questions, and I hope to be back in the office tomorrow.Best,[Your Name]

Wrapping It Up!

Knowing how to call out of work is a very necessary skill that strongly reflects your professionalism. It also shows your respect for the workplace.

So, focus on understanding the company policies, clear communications, and further taking responsibility for your absence.

This can also help you to maintain a strong relationship with your employer. Always remember, whether it is about a short leave or a long leave, the right key is to make an approach with better transparency. It is the ultimate way to contribute to a healthy and productive workplace.

Additional Readings:

• 5 Ways How People Analytics Can Help HR
• The Future Of Work: The Importance Of Employee Feedback
• Learn 7 Expert Tips To Boost Productivity And Effectively Manage Teams