The Importance of Sick Days
Since most telecommuters are used to being at home for normal work days, they may be dissuaded from ever taking a sick day. Don’t fall into that trap.
There are two main reasons why you should take sick time when you need it:
First, working when you’re sick will cause both your health and your work to suffer. Even if it’s just a mental health day, if your body is telling you it needs a break, you should listen. Ask yourself whether you would stay home if you worked in an office. If the answer is yes, keep your work computer and phone turned off, and give your body the time it needs.
Second, many companies hire employees under the lure of total compensation. That means they sell you on the entire package of benefits, not just the money they pay you. If you want to take full advantage of their compensation, then you should use one of those benefits (sick days) when you need one. Particularly if you work for a company where unused sick time is lost at the end of the year, not taking a necessary day off is effective lowering your salary. Though some may read this to mean that you should take all of your sick time, whether you’re sick or not, my point is just that sick time is there for your benefit and should be used when it’s needed.
A day off when you’re feeling down can allow you to return refreshed and more productive. Taking a single day to get over a cold may actually detract from your progress a lot less than plugging along at diminished capacity for many days. Even though you don’t run the risk of infecting coworkers if you telecommute sick, it is still in your — and your company’s — best interest to take any and all necessary sick time.
