by Anna Sanclement

Created on: March 18, 2009

When you looked out your bedroom window and saw the rain this morning, the last thing you wanted to do was drag your lazy self to the office. As unproductive as you feel, you might as well not go in because you'd just end up wasting the company's electricity by sitting at your desk like a log. You'd actually be doing your employer a favor by staying home. You are thinking in their best interest at hand here, therefore this is all for the best.

So, as you sit there contemplating on your absence from work as a good deed, here are a few dos and don'ts on calling in sick:

Dos

Call before your tour starts and use a good sick voice. Tell Mr. Boss you have a common and believable ailment, such as a cold or stomach flu. Ask how busy it is and if Mr. Boss says 'very', sound deeply concerned about it and assure him that you will surely come in tomorrow if you feel any better. Let Mr. Boss know that you don't want to spread your germs around, so you believe staying home is the better option. If possible, call Mr. Boss the night before from home to inform him of your illness and expected absence from work tomorrow. This has an increased chance of sounding legitimate, because you are reaffirming an anticipated course in the progression of a typical viral or bacterial malady. Also, this will make it easier on you since you won't have to get up early in the morning to make the call-in-sick request. Your lazy self will just be able to sleep in without interruption.

Don'ts

Do not call while lounging in bed or the couch, your laziness will filter through your voice and Mr. Boss will be suspicious. Don't make up some strange unbelievable disease such as a rare rain forest plague; this will not ring true, especially if you make sick days a habit. Don't call two minutes before you are supposed to go in; doing so shows no consideration and Mr. Boss will be annoyed at your last minute call-in-sick anouncement. He will have to re-arrange his whole agenda because of you and if he was anything like you as a subordinate, he will hate the extra work you've created for him. If you call in sick, stay out sick. Don't decide to come in halfway through the day because you got bored or something. This will create the same effect as the calling two minutes before start time deal, Mr. Boss will have to (again) re-arrange everything because of you, not to mention question your sickness status. Also, your co-workers will think you are strange and be annoyed with you for 1) coming in (supposedly) sick, 2) showing up to the office when you were excused to stay home (that's just plain stupid). 3) being so weird.

Well, there you have them, dos and don'ts for a successful call-in-sick day, use this advice and enjoy your day out. But remember, if you get caught, you can blame it on this article, but there are no guarantees of you not getting the boot.

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