1 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and hours are more 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is about how 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: to figure out when to call in sick when you 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: work from home. Recently, a listener wrote in that she 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: had had a fever over the weekend. It didn't seem 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: to be the coronavirus, and she powered through the first 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: three days of the work week, popping into her Zoom 10 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: meetings and the like. As she noted, it felt silly 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: to call in sick even though I didn't feel well. 12 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: I wasn't going to infect anybody else, and I didn't 13 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,279 Speaker 1: have to leave my house. But she said, on Wednesday afternoon, 14 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: my fever spiked again, and so she let her colleagues 15 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: know that she couldn't be on her calls on Thursday. 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: She worried that she was letting everyone down, though she 17 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: noted that her colleagues responded graciously, offering to bring her 18 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: food and medical supplies. In any case, she wondered, what 19 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: I thought about taking sick days when you're working from home. 20 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: It's a good question. People who work from home take 21 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: significantly fewer sick days than people who work in offices. 22 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 1: Now that's not necessarily because they're healthier. It's just that 23 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: if you aren't exposing other people to your germs and 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: you don't have to go anywhere, you can, in fact 25 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: work when you are moderately sick. You can also work 26 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: if you are caring for a moderately sick family member, 27 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: Since little kids get sick all the time, this is 28 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: one reason that parents in particular appreciate the option of 29 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: being able to work from home. But note the qualifier 30 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: moderately sick. Sometimes we're really sick, and just because you 31 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: could technically take a zoom call from your bed doesn't 32 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: mean that this is a great idea. You can tire 33 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: yourself out when you should be resting. If you're a chy, 34 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: or feverish, or vomiting for that matter, you probably won't 35 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: be able to think straight. If you're caring for an 36 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: extremely sick family member, well you're probably best off watching 37 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: that person rather than trying to mute the phone around 38 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: their needs too. So here's my rule of thumb. We 39 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: all have good days and bad days in the office 40 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: or at home. Evaluate how you're feeling and ask this question, 41 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: what percent capacity can I perform at today? If the 42 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: answer is over, I'd say go ahead and work. This 43 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: is within the realm of a mediocre day, the sort 44 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: we all have from time to time. But if the 45 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: answer is less than six, then go ahead and take 46 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: a sick day, and yes, really take the day off, 47 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: turn off the laptop and the phone, and focus on 48 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: healing yourself or your family member. If you focus on healing, 49 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: you'll probably you feel better more quickly than if you're 50 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: just trying to model through. If you've worked from home 51 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: for a while, I'd love to hear your thoughts on 52 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: when you decide to take sick days. You can let 53 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: me know at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In 54 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 55 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: the succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New Corner 56 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, 57 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 58 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: you get your favorite shows.