This year has seen many deaths and hospitalizations whether it’s the common cold, the flu or COVID-19. Unfortunately, when running a business, it’s hard when sick employees and are unable to come into work.
As a business owner or manager, it is your job to communicate to your employees the importance of not spreading illness around at work. A sick employee is not a productive employee. Most often, they should get back on their “A” game faster by healing at home.
Policies for Sick Employees
Here are a few tips you can give your employees about staying home:
1. Call in Early. If you’re feeling sick, call or send a text the night before. That way, plans can be made in advance to cover for you and share the office’s responsibilities.
2. Offer to Telecommute. Frequently workers come into work because of a crucial meeting, a deadline or other important matter. Give your employees an option of telecommuting while they are sick. Invest in the software that makes this possible – it will be an investment that will pay off.
3. Delegate. You know your job better than anyone else. If you have a serious illness that will have you missing work for a few days, delegate it to someone who can help. A good manager or owner will always have employees be dual-trained on things so one can pick up where the other left off.
WebMD recommends that employees who exhibit any of the following symptoms should stay home from work and not infect anyone else:
COVID-19: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting or diarrhea.
Flu Signs: fever, muscle aches, headache, runny nose, sore throat, cough, weakness and fatigue.
Sinus Infection: yellow or green discharge from the nose, headaches, aching in jaw and teeth.
Pinkeye: everyone knows what this is – it’s highly contagious – stay home!
Colds: scratchy throat, sneezing, runny nose and coughing.
All of these things are highly contagious and care should be taken not to “share the love” around the office.
If employees know they are cared about, especially when ill, their morale will be much higher, and they will have an incentive to get healthy and back to work more quickly than if they feel resented for being ill.
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