ALT-2 Call in Sick Dos and Donts
With a variety of mysterious ailments, new aches and pains, stress and anxiety, stomach viruses, and other unpredictable health issues, it's reasonable to assume people need time off from work because of illness or other emergencies.
No matter how long you've been employed with a particular business or company, you don't have the option of just not showing up and not calling in. Your employer will need a straightforward and honest phone call ahead of your regular time of arrival to let him or her know you won't be there.
Work may need to be redistributed among your associates to meet deadlines. A meeting may need to be rescheduled. Someone may have to fill in for you, depending on the kind of work you do. A call-in is not just a courtesy - it is a necessity.
Many large companies now have an automated system for call-ins due to illness. If this is your case, be sure to use the system before your work start time so that arrangements can be made within the work area to replace you. Assembly line work is a good example of how this is important. An assembly line cannot run properly without each job covered on each shift. If you neglect to call in, or call in late, you run the risk of being written up. If it's a recurring problem, you can lose your job.
In other work situations, you need to know how to make the call when you must speak to a live person. In this case, just be honest about what is wrong. A legitimate illness or emergency will likely be excused and will not cause problems.
But absenteeism is a real concern among workers in some occupations, and when it's a regular occurrence, it seriously undermines productivity in the workplace. Nevertheless, calling in sick when it's not necessary can become a bad habit for some people. This habit can present problems if you ...
1. aren't really sick. If you've awakened with a desire to bag work for the day, you may try to fake illness. Don't feign a terrible case of laryngitis on the phone, then answer the phone five minutes later with a clear voice. It may be your employer calling you back!
2. are going shopping. Coming back to work the next day after a great sale that you just couldn't help telling a coworker about could get you found out. It's not going to say much for your integrity; your employer will keep this incident in mind. It can seriously damage your reputation and character.
3. are going to a hair salon for a new do. When did you get that done? You were supposed to be sick! And how did you manage a full set of new acrylic nails when you were feeling so poorly?
4. are going to lunch with a friend. It's going to be hard to explain your illness in the morning if you're seen out to lunch. Could it have a really fast bug? Maybe you just had an amazing recovery by noon.
5. are going to say you have the flu. What's going to happen next week when you really do have the flu? If you're going to lie about being sick, at least keep it to a 24-hour bug. Be prepared to explain the next day, how lousy you felt most of the time but how miraculously well you felt again by evening.
If you're going to purposely lie to get out of work for a day, you're not going to enjoy any of the time off. Unless you have no conscience, your feelings of guilt will ruin the free time you so desperately wanted. You'll be thinking about how you left your boss shorthanded and your associates overworked.
You'll be hoping you don't get caught in the lie, and wishing you'd have just gone in. The amount of energy it takes to carry through with the lie could have been better used going to work in the first place. You'll decide it wasn't worth it when you realize it would have been a whole lot easier and less stressful just to go to work.
There are times, of course, when you'll legitimately need time off for illness or a family emergency. Have no qualms about calling in when there is a good reason. Most employers and managers are good about occasional absences for good reasons.
Your best bet is to be authentic when you need time off. Dedicate yourself to an honest personal work ethic so that your call-ins for legitimate absences will never be doubted.
