Working While Sick

You've heard it dozens of times before... Your employer and coworkers say that if you are sick, you should stay home. They don't want your funk! They don't want to be grossed out by seeing or hearing what you are dealing with, and they certainly don't want to catch it, so they want you as far away as possible.

Why do you still go to work when you're in these rough conditions? You need that paycheck! You also don't want to burn through your paid time off (PTO) being sick because you want those days for vacation. And you may have meetings and deadlines that you'd miss and set forth a chain reaction that would take days and weeks to recover from. Doesn't that make you feel important?

Despite all of your valid reasons, your office mates are still right. You shouldn't be in the office. And this is yet another reason that working from home is the cure for what ails you.

When you work from home, no one is there to catch your germs. No one has to listen to the sounds you make (coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, or worse...) You are containing your germs to you!

There are creature comforts of working from home as well. If you need to sleep in a little longer, no one will notice if you didn't get dressed, fix your hair, put on makeup, or skip your morning workout. If you are having a fever or cold chills, you are able to adjust the thermostat appropriately and dress to match, including sporting that awesome Snuggie you try to deny you have. If you need to take medication throughout the day, you aren't raising any eyebrows. And you truly cannot articulate the value of having your own, private restroom. Even your lunch time becomes more valuable as you can catch a quick nap, run to the doctor, refill a prescription, fix a bowl of soup, or otherwise help yourself get well.

Here's the best part: You're able to do all of this AND work. BOOM!

All of this assumes that you have some cognitive ability to add value, of course. There are some illnesses that you can work through, and some you shouldn't. Sometimes 50% of you at work is better than 0%, but in other cases you should just focus on a complete mend so that you can come back to work strong sooner. Check out my prior blog about allowing yourself to actually call in sick.

In a time where HR measures corporate wellness by the number of "unhealthy days", companies are trying to maximize productivity, and employees are using their vacation time to actually take vacation, being able to NOT take a sick day has increasing value. And that drives up the already valuable nature of working at home.

Where in the world is...?

Carmen Sandiego? I never could find that lady!

Previously I wrote a post about cutting the invisible tether that ties at-home workers to their desk. This tether exists largely when you cannot be seen, as it is assumed that you aren't working. This is a stigma that will take time and experience to overcome, but there are things you can do to help.

One of the easiest ways to gain trust is by being transparent with your schedule.

Let's assume one of the pointy-haired boss-type people is trying to find you, but you are off today. They email. They call. They IM. And they get no answer. They will obviously be frustrated and blame your at-home status for you being unreachable.

The easy answer to this: Let them know you were off today.

Seems so simple, right? Duh! Well, you'd be amazed at how often these little things are not done. Transparency helps build trust. When others are aware of where you are scheduled to be, then they will not question your work ethic when you aren't immediately reachable. And it builds trust for those non-scheduled times too! If you are willing to share your whereabouts, people will become less suspicious of all of your time. By illustrating you have nothing to hide, you are saying "Seriously people, I have nothing to hide! I'm working here!!"

Here are some simple tips to help improve your location transparency:

• When out of the office for an extended period:
• Set an auto reply on your email. Be sure to note when you will be returning and who can be reached if immediate help is needed. (It's ok for that to be someone else. You don't always have to give out your personal cell phone!)
• Block the time on your personal calendar. If someone wants to schedule a meeting with you, your calendar should not make it appear that you are available to meet. Nothing more frustrating than scheduling a meeting with someone to hear "Oh, I am off that day." Block your calendar properly and the meeting will be scheduled properly!!
• Let your team know in advance. You can do this through a shared team calendar or meeting invites or simply discussing in a staff meeting. Don't let your auto-reply be the first they hear of it.
• Inform other key colleagues and customers in advance. Maybe tell them in passing or during during another meeting, or even add your planned time off in your email signature for everyone to see.
• Update your voicemail to also indicate your whereabouts. When gone for an extended period, a custom message with your return date may be helpful. In may cases, simply changing to say you are not in the office today will suffice. 
• When in the office:
• Be sure your calendar reflects where you are and when. If you need an hour to travel to/from a meeting, put it on your calendar. If you want to block time to indicate you go to the gym during your lunch hour, put it on your calendar. 
• Be sure your IM status is current. Most Instant Messenger platforms can sync with your calendar and your activity to inform people of your location and availability. Sometimes you may override this, particular for Do Not Disturb moments, but be sure to set it back. Having a status of "Away" for 4 days doesn't leave the right impression. (And be sure to actually sign out if you are done for the day!)
• Attend the meetings you accept. Don't falsify your calendar. People will catch on, and it won't be pretty. 
• Be sure your calendar also reflects your working hours. If you work an alternate shift, ensure your calendar illustrates the same. If people are contacting you at 4:00 PM and you leave at 3:00 PM, how else might they know? 
• In general:
• Let people see your calendar. Really, what are you hiding? If something is sooooo private, then mark it private. But 99% of the meetings you attend, time you block to do work, or even appointments aren't so special that you can't let others know what you are doing. 
• Make sure that your electronic media is always accurate to your current location. It's great to say you're out of office today, provided you change it back when you return. 
• You don't have to update for the small things like a nature break or a coffee. The more trust you build with the bigger things, the less the little things are of consequence.

If you were physically in the office, people would be able to see when you are on the phone, in a meeting, or simply out for the day. When you are at-home, people can't just see that. Cameras all over your house would be creepy. So you need to let them "see" through other avenues. It's the same cues you provided before, only in electronic format. When people can see where you are, they wonder less about where you might otherwise be.