I’ll have you know that nobody really wants to get sick for real. It’s annoying and exhausting especially if you don’t have a family member who can take care of you since you are living away from home. But inevitably, getting sick can happen oftentimes to people. Although in Japan, people do not skip work lightly, being inflicted with real sickness is appropriately excusable. You get sick from catching a cold or flu, or you may have a fever. If you are not physically healthy and able to perform your duties at work, then there is no point in forcing yourself just because you are afraid you’re boss will get angry or that he won’t allow your absences.
But here are 5 VALID reasons you must know to excuse yourself from work when you are not feeling well:
Other Staff Members may get Sick as well
It’s a serious situation when you catch a virus for yourself and in return inflict that virus to your colleagues at work. There is a really high chance that your sickness will spread to other people especially if it’s contagious. If you feel that you’re beginning to catch a cold and your throat starts to hurt, you can either wear a mask before it gets worse and drink a lot of vitamins in order to flush it all down.
Cold Condition
- Period of Onset: All year round
- Symptom: Cough, Sneeze, Throat Pain, Headache, Stuffy Nose, Fever
- Fever Onset: 37℃~38℃
- Progression Rate: Slowly
Flu Condition
- Period of Onset: Winter Term( December-February)
- Symptom: Cough, Throat Pain, Running Nose, Feeling Heavy, High Fever, Loss of Appetite, Joint Pain, Headache.
- Fever Onset: More than 38℃
- Progression Rate: Immediately
If you feel signs and symptoms, you need to immediately see a doctor for advisement and also drink a lot of fluids in order to recover fast. Take your medicine and get enough rest in order to heal so that you can get back to work as soon as possible, with a healthy state of body and mind.
There’s a high risk of making mistakes
When you’re body is signalling that it’s running low on energy, you must listen to it. There’s a high probability that you will not be functioning to the best of your ability, thus you will make inevitable mistakes and this would cause trouble for you and for your workmates as well. You won’t be able to concentrate and give the best version of yourself. Especially if you are working in the hospitality industry, customers won’t be happy to see a sick person serving them.
If you cannot perform your job well, then it’s better to take the day and politely inform your boss that you won’t be able to make due to an unfortunate sickness.
You will delay your recovery
For those people who take their work seriously, being absent from their job is a cost they don’t want to take. But your dedication and hard work will only take you so much if you do not take care of your well-being. Pay attention to the needs your body as well and get rid of the stress as much as you can. You can start a fresh the next time. If you ignore your physical wellness then it can just get worse as you work along. To be able to give your 100% at work, you must give yourself permission to rest and relax when you need to. Your body and spirit is connected to each other so if something is wrong, everything will be affected.
Have the Risk to Infect Customers or Foods
If you have cold or flu, there’s a chance you will spread the bacteria to customers and they may catch the same condition like you. Or if you’re handling foods, this may also get affected as well. What will happen if you sneeze on the food all of a sudden? Customers may complain to the restaurant and may sue the restaurant in worst case scenario.
So, what steps you need to have when you get sick?
It depends on the case and condition, but please refer to the steps below:
- Call your direct boss immediately and tell him/her about your condition which is why it’s difficult to go to work.
- Make sure you call your boss through your phone, not using any SNS (Facebook, Messenger, LINE etc.) since using SNS is not appropriate and informal.
YAE/Japan
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