How to Keep Sick Days From Putting You Behind on Work

Want to avoid falling behind on your work while you're on sick leave? Here are some tips that can help.

You made the right choice to miss work while you are sick. By removing the stress and exertion from your days, you can recover faster and avoid infecting others. But you might worry about tasks piling up while you rest.

Here are 6 ways you can make it easier to catch up on work after an illness.

1. Be Honest About Your Illness

When you tell your employer that you are sick, you don’t need to describe your symptoms. Just say that you are unwell and cannot work. Focus on how much time you’ll need, and give an honest assessment.

If you give an accurate description of your needs, your boss can better accommodate you. For instance, under-estimating the time you will need makes it harder to cover your shifts.

2. Focus on Recovering

The sooner you feel better, the less work you have to catch up on. Avoid going out or exerting yourself. You can also use delivery apps to order healthy meals instead of shopping or cooking. Many will also bring you household supplies such as tissues and cold medicine.

Tracking symptoms with a health journal app can also help. By paying attention to your symptoms, you can better understand your own care needs. These apps will also remind you to hydrate, which is especially important when you’re sick.

3. Enable Automatic Email Replies

Your email can let people know that you're not available. Use automatic replies to let people know that you need a bit more time to get back to them. Most email services offer this feature.

In Gmail, go to Settings > See All Settings. You will find Automatic Replies at the bottom of the General tab.

With Microsoft Outlook, you find them in the File tab. If you use Outlook in your browser, go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Email > Automatic Replies.

It can be hard to draft a professional email when you’re sick. Here’s a script you can copy and paste. Don’t forget to change the dates and names.

4. Get Email Updates

Ask to be CC’d on emails relating to your work while you’re at home. This way, you can remain aware of changes. Plus, you won't need to catch up on news and developments when you get back. You can jump right back in.

If emails aren’t a regular part of your work day, you might still be able to get updates. Ask if anyone in your team would be willing to keep you updated on major changes. If your company has a newsletter, making sure you're subscribed can work, as well.

5. Set Task Priorities

When you get back to work, clear priorities can help you catch up quickly. It’s best to choose a to-do app that works on your phone and computer. That way, you can easily adjust priorities from home as your projects develop.

Select a task managing app that lets you rank tasks from high to low priority. When you return to work, you may have a backlog. You likely can’t do everything on your first day, but the priorities help you know where to start.

6. Ask for Remote Options

Depending on your job, you may be able to continue some tasks from home. For instance, answering emails, researching, brainstorming, organizing, and participating in meetings.

You should still avoid tasks that need lots of focus and attention, such as editorial work. Especially if your symptoms include fatigue or brain fog. And the best thing is still to miss work entirely. Continuing to work when you are sick can prolong your illness, even if your job isn’t physically tiring. If you can afford the time off, take it.

Don't Play Catch-Up

Everyone needs time off sometimes. But with smart strategies, you can prevent sick days from putting you behind. This also makes your sick time less stressful, which helps you recover faster.

You can reduce your sick time even more by using apps to adopt a healthier lifestyle.