As a union Labor Representative, I often witness employers give their employees grief for using their sick leave. Many don’t use their sick leave because they simply can’t relax when they are off and others receive disruptive calls from coworkers and managers who play the 21 work questions game, it truly doesn’t feel like a day off.
I rarely call in sick, but this week the flu took a toll on me. In the middle of body aches and a fever, I quickly typed and sent out an email in which I “regretted to inform” two HR directors that I was OUT SICK and would likely not be well for our prescheduled meetings set to take place the following day, along with dates to reschedule upon my return. These emails went out to two different employers.
To my surprise, when I checked my work phone that night for any urgent matters (I was feeling a tad bit better), I found that not one, but BOTH HR DIRECTORS had emailed AND called me four hours after I sent the email in which I had clearly let them know I was OUT SICK, with unimportant questions that could have waited to be answered upon my return…One of the emails began with “I tried calling you just now to ask XYZ question but you didn’t answer”…Mind you, I don’t even work for them; They don’t sign my paychecks.
I now fully understand why some employees have near nervous breakdowns about calling in sick in these kinds of toxic work environments where it is somehow not implied that when someone calls out sick it means they are so under the weather that they cannot be bothered to come into work and are therefore NOT WORKING. Hence, they are on SICK LEAVE.
The audacity these HR directors displayed in contacting me and expecting an answer from me, a union Labor Representative, when I specifically told them I was OUT SICK was just eye opening.
Certainly, if there is no respect for someone whose job it is to protect, teach and champion an employee’s right to use sick leave, ie. disconnect from work, I can’t imagine ANY respect is being shown to their own employees when they use their sick leave.
It’s time to teach these employers a lesson on what sick leave means. Unfortunately, I see more and more employees allowing their employers to call them with work concerns on their time off. When you call in sick, do yourself a favor and focus on getting better; Put your work away!
Only YOU have the power to place boundaries and set expectations with your employer. When you answer work emails/calls while on your sick leave, you are sending your employer the message that it’s okay for them to prioritize work over your right to rest. At that point, they might as well just give you your sick day back if you’re expected to work!
The US is falling behind on the expansiveness and quality of worker’s rights afforded to employees compared to other countries; Let’s not weaken the few rights we do have by not advocating for ourselves in the workplace.
This is your invitation to stand strong and do your part for the worker’s rights movement!