In some companies, taking a sick day is seriously frowned upon. But the problem with this culture is that it encourages staff to drag themselves into work when they are not well. This means staff often stay unwell for longer and increases the risk of passing germs on to colleagues.
So rather than trying to battle through a day at work when you’re feeling under the weather, it’s far better to take a day off to rest and recover at home and then come back to work feeling refreshed. Not only will you be protecting your own health but you’ll also be helping your company – after all, no business wants to run with a sick workforce.
If you find it difficult to take a day off when you’re feeling ill, try the following strategies:
- Make sure you know what your company’s policy is on taking a sick day. Do you need to telephone by a certain time or speak to a particular colleague? If you know what the policy is, you’re less likely to feel stressed at the thought of calling in sick.
- Check that any key information held on your computer is accessible to your colleagues – that way they will know how to find information without having to phone you at home.
- Don’t feel guilty – if you are genuinely sick, then it’s in your company’s best interests that you stay home and get better. Switch off your phone, go to bed and take time to recover.
For advice about staying healthy at work, visit: www.stayinghealthyatwork.co.uk