WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: When should I call in sick? 

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work, where location and hours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is about how

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<v Speaker 1>to figure out when to call in sick when you

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<v Speaker 1>work from home. Recently, a listener wrote in that she

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<v Speaker 1>had had a fever over the weekend. It didn't seem

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<v Speaker 1>to be the coronavirus, and she powered through the first

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<v Speaker 1>three days of the work week, popping into her Zoom

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<v Speaker 1>meetings and the like. As she noted, it felt silly

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<v Speaker 1>to call in sick even though I didn't feel well.

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<v Speaker 1>I wasn't going to infect anybody else, and I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>have to leave my house. But she said, on Wednesday afternoon,

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<v Speaker 1>my fever spiked again, and so she let her colleagues

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<v Speaker 1>know that she couldn't be on her calls on Thursday.

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<v Speaker 1>She worried that she was letting everyone down, though she

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<v Speaker 1>noted that her colleagues responded graciously, offering to bring her

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<v Speaker 1>food and medical supplies. In any case, she wondered, what

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<v Speaker 1>I thought about taking sick days when you're working from home.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a good question. People who work from home take

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<v Speaker 1>significantly fewer sick days than people who work in offices.

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<v Speaker 1>Now that's not necessarily because they're healthier. It's just that

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<v Speaker 1>if you aren't exposing other people to your germs and

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have to go anywhere, you can, in fact

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<v Speaker 1>work when you are moderately sick. You can also work

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<v Speaker 1>if you are caring for a moderately sick family member,

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<v Speaker 1>Since little kids get sick all the time, this is

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<v Speaker 1>one reason that parents in particular appreciate the option of

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<v Speaker 1>being able to work from home. But note the qualifier

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<v Speaker 1>moderately sick. Sometimes we're really sick, and just because you

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<v Speaker 1>could technically take a zoom call from your bed doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>mean that this is a great idea. You can tire

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<v Speaker 1>yourself out when you should be resting. If you're a chy,

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<v Speaker 1>or feverish, or vomiting for that matter, you probably won't

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<v Speaker 1>be able to think straight. If you're caring for an

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<v Speaker 1>extremely sick family member, well you're probably best off watching

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<v Speaker 1>that person rather than trying to mute the phone around

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<v Speaker 1>their needs too. So here's my rule of thumb. We

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<v Speaker 1>all have good days and bad days in the office

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<v Speaker 1>or at home. Evaluate how you're feeling and ask this question,

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<v Speaker 1>what percent capacity can I perform at today? If the

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<v Speaker 1>answer is over, I'd say go ahead and work. This

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<v Speaker 1>is within the realm of a mediocre day, the sort

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<v Speaker 1>we all have from time to time. But if the

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<v Speaker 1>answer is less than six, then go ahead and take

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<v Speaker 1>a sick day, and yes, really take the day off,

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<v Speaker 1>turn off the laptop and the phone, and focus on

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<v Speaker 1>healing yourself or your family member. If you focus on healing,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll probably you feel better more quickly than if you're

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<v Speaker 1>just trying to model through. If you've worked from home

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<v Speaker 1>for a while, I'd love to hear your thoughts on

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<v Speaker 1>when you decide to take sick days. You can let

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<v Speaker 1>me know at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>the succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New Corner

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<v Speaker 1>Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts,

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