Feeling Sick? Here’s How You Can Still Get Important Work Done Successfully
As much as people want to work very hard to earn their keep on a daily basis, there are times when the body simply cannot function properly once the presence of an illness makes itself known. No matter how careful people are when it comes to managing their health, the fact remains that the human body will always have limitations. And when people get sick, it directly affects their performance at work and could spell trouble if it is not addressed at the soonest possible time. But what if you still want to work even when you are sick?
Short of a serious and life-threatening illness, there are some maladies that are reason enough for you to call in sick for the day, but not so debilitating to the point that you can’t do anything productive. In fact, you can still do some work done—even if it’s just a little bit—when you’re experiencing a mild cold, fever, headache, or any unpleasant physical sensations that you can tolerate or handle with moderate effort. Of course, it’s important for you to prioritize your health, but there are ways to find a reasonable compromise.
To be clear, this guide is only applicable if you’re experiencing any illness that won’t require you to stay in a hospital since you can’t hope to get any work done if you’re a confirmed in-patient at a medical facility. That being said, you can realistically still get some work done even when you’re not physically present in your office and called in sick. Though it might be a challenge, it’s something that you can conceivably rise to the occasion and succeed while doing it. Look to the helpful pieces of advice below for more detailed information.
Work remotely from home
The most obvious solution to your dilemma is to do some—if not all—of your missed day’s work from the comforts of your home. If you feel that you’re strong enough to get some work done from your bedroom or home office despite your illness, then you should at least make the effort to do so because it minimizes the risk of accruring massive backlogs once you get back to the office after making sure that your cold or fever has run its course. Working from home also reduces the risk of you spreading any contagious diseases to your colleagues in the office.
Moreover, isolating yourself means that you’ll be able to manage and contain your illness within your private spaces. Always remember that when you decide to call in sick from work but intend to do complete some of your tasks from home, you need to speak with human resources and your immediate supervisor so that they will be aware of your plans and that they won’t be surprised that you ended up doing something even when you weren’t in the office.
Take your medication
Naturally, the quickest way for you to get better is to ensure that you take your medicine the instant that you feel something is wrong with your body. Most minor illnesses such as colds or headaches are often resolved by taking over-the-counter drugs that will help alleviate the symptoms. However, if your case requires something stronger, you would need to approach your physician or doctor to ask for a specific prescription that could target your condition and put you back on the path to wellness at the soonest possible time.
But of course, all drugs take a certain amount of time to take effect, so you can’t expect yourself to feel better instantly after ingesting pills or liquid formulations. While your body is adjusting to the effects of the drug, you can kill time by staying productive and do some of your work at home. But you need to remember that drugs have certain side effects that might prevent you from doing mild to moderate activity, so when those side effects kick in, don’t force yourself to finish your work and allow yourself to rest and heal properly.
Work in brief increments
Because you’re out of the office and you’re stuck at home feeling sick, you have the entire day to make the most out of your recovery. Emphasize the recovery portion of your sick day, so make sure that you don’t push yourself to work for the whole day since exerting your mind and body might only aggravate the symptoms of your illness. If you must really finish your intended tasks for the day, then try doing your work in short bursts so that you won’t tax yourself too much by spending the whole day working on your laptop or computer.
Pacing yourself is important because the point of you calling in sick is to allow your body time to heal, and it won’t heal properly unless you get some adequate rest apart from taking your prescribed medication, drinking lots of fluids, and eating healthy food options. Try to do your home-based work in fifteen to thirty-minute increments and then commit yourself to resting for one to two hours in between so that you could give yourself some breathing room. Remember, getting better should take precedence over productivity.
Stay connected with your colleagues
When you really can’t muster the energy to work from home but still want to get updated with what’s going on in the office, then the best solution to this problem is to stay in touch with your coworkers. They will provide you with the latest updates while you’re at home recovering from your illness. If you have a strong internet connection at home, then you can easily check your emails or do some quick video calls just so that you’ll get up to speed on what’s going on in your office and how your colleagues are coping without your presence.
Another good alternative would be to call your colleagues directly from your phone so that you can talk to them without them having to see how sick and haggard you look. This is a much more preferable option since it’s a bit embarrassing for them to see you on a video call looking unwell and dressed in house clothes. Whenever you’re communicating with your coworkers, make sure that you take note of whatever updates they give you so that you’ll easily get back into the groove when you’re well enough to return to the office.
Plan your schedule ahead
if you’reunable to complete certain tasks at home because you don’t have specific resources provided by your office, then the best thing you can do in this scenario would be to simply plan your work itinerary for when you return to the office once you get better. Planning your schedule ahead of time eliminates the possibility of you struggling to keep up with the work you missed during your absence, and it also allows you to come back fully prepared for addressing all of the work-related concerns that falls under your job responsibilities.
Check your work calendar and see if you have any pending stuff that needs to be rescheduled and make those tasks a priority the minute you return to the office. If you have any additional new tasks that you need to do when you return to work, then you need to have such tasks prioritized according to the level of importance, Double check with the rest of your colleagues to see if there is anything else that you might have missed and need to include as part of your to-do list.
