Taking a Sick Day - Templates + Scripts
Who else is battling another cold after some virus after another random stomach bug after another illness?
If you’re back in the office… germs.
If you have little kids… petri dishes full of germs.
If it’s winter cold and flu season… germs.
I am currently under the weather with who knows what and while I took time off this week to tend to my health… Now I’m giving you the tools to be able to communicate to your employer/clients/colleagues when you need to turn off your computer and focus on rest.
As always, this Career Civility is here to give you tangible and actionable communication advice. And while taking a sick day seems like a simple task, the act of actually doing it can be daunting.
Start here and follow this framework -
Delegate
Propose a new time / deadline
Give thanks + appreciation
It can look like this,
“Hey xx, I woke up under the weather today. Would we be able to push our meeting to XYZ date? Thanks for being so understanding and flexible!”
Or this,
“Hey xx, my little one has been home sick all week. I won't be able to submit the project details by the deadline this week. I will be able to have it to you by XYZ date. I recognize this is inconvenient and I appreciate your understanding here. Working hard to balance work and being a parent at the moment"
If this feels weird to do….You're not alone.
If this feels like a no brainer... We envy you because it sounds like you have your boundaries and priorities in line.
It's a delicate dance respecting the job that pays the bills while also honoring your health. Work is not paying you to run yourself into the ground, they ARE paying you to be as productive and efficient as you can be - and being healthy is the best way to accomplish that.
Below are more templates to copy, paste, and send so you can close that computer and get back to resting.
When your kids are sick -
“Hey xx, I’m out sick today with my daughter so I just updated the meeting time for us to meet on Monday. Thanks for understanding and talk to you then!”
When you need to delegate the work -
“Hey team, I woke up sick today so I’ll be sitting this meeting out. If you want to reschedule, we can. Otherwise, XX can run with it and we can regroup in our meeting next week. Thanks for stepping in for me while I’m out!”
When you need to cancel/reschedule -
“Hey, Unfortunately, I am under the weather today. Can we reschedule for xx day at the same time? Appreciate your flexibility”
For when you need to put an Out Of Office message up while you are out sick -
“Hey there, unfortunately I am under the weather today and am hoping to be back at it [later this week/early next week]. As soon as I am back in action, I will be able to get back to you. If anything is urgent, please reach out to xx@abccompany.com”
What other sick day scenarios can I help you create templates and scripts for? Less work, more resting.
Get better soon friends!!
