Use traditional paid time off for your interviews and plan ahead as much as you can. This doesn’t just affect parents that need to go to the office, either. Even if you work from home, that doesn’t mean you can be productive when school is unexpectedly closed or your babysitter calls out sick. Needing some time to work out childcare arrangements is a great excuse to call out of work (as long as it’s true, of course).

But in reality, there are plenty of reasons that you might call out of work. From a bad cold to needing a mental health day, it’s OK to take the time you need to rest. Feeling sick is one of the most common reasons people miss work, and it’s a good one.

Good Reasons to Call Out of Work – Is it OK to Call In Sick?

Food poisoning wrecks your body and often, keeps you up all night. If you eat something bad and get sick afterward, it’s completely normal to call out of work. You may need to catch up on sleep or simply take some extra time to recover. Some companies have a formal bereavement leave policy to cover death in the family, so be sure to check your employee handbook for guidelines.

Or, it can be as dramatic as the family emergencies we listed earlier. Regardless, it’s important to know when to call out so that you can take care of yourself and maintain a good work-life balance. If you’re a leader, trusting and supporting your employees is one of the most important things you can do.

Top excuses when calling off of work

However, you’re not actually sick, and you can go to work if you push yourself. Everyone understands that people need time off for family emergency. Not just to attend the funeral but to properly grieve, so you may be able to take more than one day off. Any such car trouble is often considered a valid reason to call out of work. It’s understood that car troubles can prevent you from commuting to work.

  • Remember, even if you could work from the comfort of your bed, that doesn’t mean you’ll be effective.
  • As soon as you know that you won’t be able to work, give your boss a phone call or send them a message.
  • On the other hand, if you have pink eye (which is contagious) but are otherwise feeling fine, your boss might not want you to come into the office.
  • Family emergencies are also commonly accepted excuses to miss work on short notice.
  • If your kids kept you up all night and your mental health is going to suffer without some sleep, then you can be honest about that, too.

Your boss should have things in place for supporting mental health. They can be nasty too, causing a lot of discomfort when sitting down. If you are comfortable enough to share this information with your boss then go for it. Haemorrhoids are definitely a valid excuse to call out of work.

Someone else is sick

If your internet connection is not working properly, you can’t be expected to do your work properly. Whether the internet is insanely slow or your service is down entirely, you can typically get off work reasons to call out of work temporarily until you get your service working again. On the other hand, if you have pink eye (which is contagious) but are otherwise feeling fine, your boss might not want you to come into the office.

If you receive a jury summons in the mail, you have one of the best excuses to call out of work. Jury duty is a responsibility that you can’t avoid, so be sure to ask for time off as soon as you know you need it. If you’re having trouble with your internet connection, remote work can feel just about impossible. But before you call out, see if you can get online using your cell phone’s hotspot or by going to a local cafe that has free WiFi.