How to Take a Sick Day from Work

Seriously, we’ve said it once and we’ll say it a thousand more times if we have to.

Don’t come to work sick.

If you’re not feeling well, and you force yourself into the office, you’re setting yourself up for a bad day.

• You won’t recover as well or as quickly as if you’d stayed home.
• You won’t be very productive in the office anyways.
• You will be very difficult to work with.
• You will likely infect your coworkers and ignite an office outbreak.

So just don’t do it. If you’re not feeling well, take a sick day! And encourage your employees to do the same. To make the process easier, here are a few things you need to do to actually take a sick day.

Share these instructions with your employees so they know just how serious you are about staying home on sick days.

Get In Touch with Your Boss

If you don’t notify your boss of your sick day, you’re just a no-show. And nobody likes an employee who goes MIA. There’s probably a policy in your employee manual outlining exactly who you need to tell when you take a sick day.

Set Your ‘Out of Office’

Don’t tempt yourself by letting your phone and email notifications ring all day. Set “Out of Office” notifications for your email and voicemail, and then unplug from your work technology.

Bundle Up

Stay warm and get comfortable. That usually means curling up on your couch or in your bed. Wrap yourself up in your favorite cozy blanket, and settle in.

Stay Hydrated

Hydration is one of the biggest keys to recovering from any illness. Make sure you drink plenty of clear fluids like water and tea. Depending on your illness, sports drinks and fruit juice can be super helpful too.

Eat Light

Just because you’re settled into the couch, doesn’t mean you should lay there and skip meals all day. Try to find something light that sits well. Your body needs that fuel to keep working toward recovery.

Rest, Rest, Rest

One of the best things you can do on your sick day is to rest! A sick day isn’t a day to do yardwork, run errands or clean the house. In fact, if your sick day is basically one long nap, that’s perfectly fine!

Entertain Yourself

For many hard-working people, the hardest part of a sick day can be the boredom. They’ll convince themselves they feel better just so they can do something. For that reason, it’s important to keep yourself entertained. Whether it’s your favorite movie, TV show, book or music, find something to keep your mind occupied.

Don’t Touch Anyone

One of the most important parts of your sick day is to do your best not to infect anyone else. You don’t necessarily have to quarantine yourself, but make sure you’re being smart. If you have somebody staying home to take care of you, remind them to wash their hands often.

Taking a sick day can be the most important step toward feeling better. It can also help you avoid a crappy workday and infecting all your coworkers. Use these instructions to take a sick day, and share them with your employees to let them know that sick days are encouraged when needed!

What’s your favorite sick day routine? We’d love to hear in the comments below!