If you are a leader, you are setting an example for the organization that you are responsible for. Boy, have I been bad in the past! Yikes! I used to say, I can be sick at home or sick at work — so come into work!
My turnaround moment on this issue was more centered around pandemic flu and the concept of social distancing to prevent the transmission of the illness from one person to another. Still I have not been perfect. I recall riding the commuter train and having a sinus infection. A few people sitting opposite me got up and moved to other seats. Kind of sent a message ...
Check out the information below. Certainly, the boss can both set the example and encourage better behavior. If the person feels overwhelmed by work, give them the latitude to work from home or just encourage them to first get well by adjusting their deliverables to enable them to feel comfortable to stay at home when sick.
The opposite of the above and the chart's information below are those who "waste their sick leave" by using every hour as it becomes available. They engender a different reputation for abusing sick leave — and that behavior also needs to be addressed. I've personally donated sick leave to people who had cancer and had exhausted all of their own sick leave. Others who abused sick leave and then became ill, they — in my opinion — need to reap what they have sowed.
