Career Tear

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Sick Day Lie #1 – Sick vs. Sick Day

Posted by Stephanie Robertson on January 30th, 2009

Lies are bad. Lies destroy lives. Lies leave footprints on your conscience. That said I will provide advice only on lies that are already in progress. Obvious lies that employees tend to tell to their boss regarding sick day excuses. I have seen trust between employees and employers fall apart over lies that, with the appropriate direction, could have been prevented.

First Rule of Thumb:
When communicating with your boss use the proper phrasing that tiptoes around the truth. Many employees use inappropriately phrased excuses that would automatically be a red flag to your boss.

Example: “I am sick today and I don’t think I will be able to come to work.”

Wrong! First of all you are not sick – That is a lie. What’s worse is that you follow it up with a less than confident solution. Saying that you don’t “think”that you can come to work is a clear indication that you have no truth to sustain this lie. You are sick remember? Believe that you are sick. Practice your sympathy demeanor. Deliver confidence and know that you are sick. You have been afforded the right not to be at work during an illness. Don’t be timid in your conviction. If you don’t believe it then who will?

Secondly you NEVER admit that you are sick unless your back is against the wall. DO NOT say “I am sick today.” Again, you are not sick and although you might elude to it you need not say it. That is where the confidence should take over.

Proper Responses:

“I am using a sick day today. Unfortunately I won’t be able to come in this morning so I’ll see you bright and early, ready to work, on Monday morning.” (Recommended)

or….

“I tried to come in today, but there is no way I can do it. I am going to have to use a sick day. I know I have some projects that need my attention, but at this point I don’t see how that’s possible for me to be there. I hope to see you first thing Monday morning.” (For the guilty minds requiring a lengthier lie)

See – you have told the truth without having a crooked conscience. You never said you were sick you said “I am using a sick day.” There is a big difference. What your boss heard was that you were too sick to come to work. He/she will communicate that to your team and by Monday morning everyone will ask if you feel better. Your office buddies know better and they have probably called you on their lunch break to engage you in office gossip.

Legal Disclaimer: This strategy works best if you have sick days available. If you are negative sick days and your boss brings it to your attention convincingly gasp as if you did not know and float a PTO day instead. Please consult your employee handbook for corporate policies and procedures. I am not an expert and will not assume any responsibility for misapplied communication or inaccurate lie leadership.

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