7 Legitimate Reasons to Call Out of Work

You can’t call out of work because of boredom or the absence of ambition that day. There are, however, legitimate reasons to call out of work. These vary from personal illness and injury to family emergencies to technological mutinies. We’ll go over when it is OK to call out of work and how to if the time comes.?

Work is important. Depending on your personality, it may be all-important to you.?

But your priorities can change when illness hits. Technological inconveniences can, on an emergency basis, be larger than we’d like to allow ourselves to give them credit for being. And unfortunately, unexpected family emergencies can crop up.

Whether you’re working in person or remotely there are, in general, legitimate reasons to call out of work — as well as those that are less so. Let’s go over when it is a good idea to call out.?

When You Should Call Out of Work?

Employers aren’t necessarily going to jump the gun and assume that if you report being sick more than once in your tenure you’re lying. But many employees are, understandably, cautious when it comes to calling out.?

The changes wrought by the remote work revolution have in many ways improved employee performance .?

But these have also, as LinkedIn blogger Sebastian Joseph puts it, “brought in significant change in employee-manager relationship. In a physical environment, managers will be able to notice the change in Team Members’ behavior pattern, mood swings and the engagement level.” What this means is that certain mitigable “mental health” or burnout factors that contribute to overall employee health are harder to catch and address before they become unmitigable problems.?

Yet remote workers who don’t deal with commutes and noisy office environments are more likely to work through illness.?

OK, so you can live with being sick, depending on how sick you are. But when should you take a day off work?

Personal Reasons

“Personal reasons” is a catch-all excuse an employee proffers to retain their privacy. It encompasses illness, the need for a “mental health day,” a personal day needed to accomplish time-pressured chores or errands, and other reasons for missing work.?

While some employers and HR departments like to know why an employee won’t be at work, the “personal reasons” excuse is an acceptable explanation that rests upon the bidirectional trust between employee and employer that all employers claim to want?

Medical Issues?

Some medical issues, like illness and injury, are acute. Some are recurrent and often unserious but at times troublesome.

For some, medical issues know no remittance, merely relapse. Management can view chronically ill employees as a liability.?

But they’re not. And even if you can’t convince someone of that, some lawyers will: The Americans With Disabilities Act stipulates that reasonable accommodations must be made for disabled or chronically ill employees.??

Family Emergencies?

We dread these. A “family emergency” may be nothing more than a new parent’s paranoia over an infant’s runny nose.

But could also be about bereavement.?

7 Legitimate Reasons To Call Out of Work?

1. Sickness

Pushing yourself through sickness at work won’t help you feel better, plus your work will suffer. Taking sick days when you need them ultimately makes you more productive .

2. Home Emergency?

The possibilities are troubling to even consider: Your kid gets sick. You fall down the stairs and break a bone. There’s a fire. There’s a flood.?

You can’t predict the unknown. You can’t even always prepare for it. But you may find yourself needing to take time away from work to address it on an emergency basis.?

3. Death of a Loved One

Grief takes its toll on a person — which in turn takes a toll on a person’s work performance.?

4. Healthcare Visits?

Ideally, healthcare visits prevent or reduce sick days. It would seem odd, then, for an employer to look askance at anyone asking to take them. But it happens.

5. Caring for Sick Relatives or Pets

The number of Americans in multi-generational living situations is rising. They’ve more than doubled in the last 50 years.?

Living with aging parents and grandparents, as well as young children and pets — all of whom require levels of supervision ranging from irregular to all-consuming — means that, eventually, an employee in this sort of living situation will have to put their work aside to care for a loved one.?

And anyone with a pet realizes that a pet is a full-fledged family member. Even LinkedIn executive resume writer Jessica Hernandez encourages employees who suffer the loss of a beloved pet to be open with their employers about their grief and take time off as needed. “We were a heartbroken mess and in no shape for company,” she says of her family after the loss of their dog. Imagine how much less fit she was to work that day.?

6. Car Troubles or Wi-Fi Problems

OK, so it might be easier for remote workers to fake sickness. But they can’t fake car trouble. Or, rather, they can, but as reliable transportation isn’t germane to their working situation, it isn’t a legitimate reason for them to call out.?

Wi-Fi problems, however, can make it difficult to even call out of work in the first place. Remote employment relies on clear, powerful internet connectivity.?

7. Personal Issues

“Personal issues” is often code for “mental health issues.” And though more employers and fellow employees are sympathetic , an employee may still not wish to disclose their particular psychiatric struggles for fear of being stigmatized or infantilized.?

Tips for Calling Out of Work

Many companies allow both on-site and remote workers to “call out” via proprietary intranet portals. This can be simply a formality in the case of a company with a generous paid time off system.?

Other companies still require a phone call and someone to approve the absence.?

Keep this in mind: You’re employed because your organization needs you day to day. But you can only give your employer what they need each day if you’re feeling well enough to do so.?

Key Takeaways:?

• There are legitimate reasons for calling out of work.?
• These vary from personal and family illnesses to major inconveniences.?
• Remote workers and on-site workers share some, but not all, legitimate reasons for calling out of work.?
• When you call out, remember to be respectful — but stand up for yourself. After all, you know you best.

(Reporting by NPD)