UNITED STATES—It happens to the best of us, we all get sick and when we do we have to make that decision rather to go tough it out and go to work or call it a day. Well America, I had one of those days recently and I felt immense guilt at first, but my mind and body told today was not that day. I just did not have the energy, I wasn’t feeling well and it wasn’t happening even if I wanted it to. Having a tough work schedule can do a number on your body people.
You can get physically sick from working too much, you can get sick from being overstressed and you can get sick from just being tired. If your body doesn’t properly recoup, no matter how hard you push yourself it just will not happen. So what do you do in that case? Do what the kids do, take a sick day! Sometimes you just need that extra day to allow yourself to clear the mind, rest the body and rejuvenate the spirit to prepare for that day when you do go back to work. There are good things and bad things about taking a sick day. The perks we’ve already talked about and the bonus is you get an extra day off work. Now let’s talk about some of the cons; someone has to cover your shift. That is expected in the workplace.
People take time off and things transpire where your place of employment has to prepare for the unexpected. Yes, things are a bit dicey right now because of COVID-19, but you have to have options in play because you never know what might transpire where someone cannot work. It happens in the employment arena, so if a company ever expects someone to work nonstop without taking time off they need to think again people.
The other caveat is your work load might be larger when you return to work. That was something that used to stress me out then I came to the realization, what’s there today will be there tomorrow, so just tackle then if you’re not able to get it done on the day you last worked or if you have a sick day. That’s why so many people take that extra day off: they pushed themselves too much trying to get everything done.
I remind people all the time, one person can only do so much. You cannot expect them to be Superman. Superman is a fictional character people and even if he wasn’t even he would get tired from trying to do everything without any help from others in his or her orbit. Companies should never shame employees or staff if they take a day off. You should expect your employees and staff to have a sick day here and there, and especially if it’s someone who NEVER takes time off, a complaint should be the last thing that comes from your mouth.
An extra sick day gives that person who just needs a little more time to get back to their full potential to reach their full potential. It is not the end of the world if you take a sick day and you should never feel that way when you work hard either. If you do, it says more about your company than it does about you.
