- Remote work blurs lines. Working from home may increase the likelihood that an employee will push through a workday while sick.
- Time off increases wellness. Encouraging remote employees to take a full sick day when needed can increase recovery time and reduce burnout.
- Hybrid work makes sick leave tricky. Employers should have an action plan for hybrid employees who are worried about missing “face time” when they are sick on in-office days.
- Consistency in policies. All employees should have equal sick leave, but it may be helpful to have a communications plan tailored to remote employees encouraging them to use it.
It's an all-too-familiar sight for some organizations with remote employees: seeing a co-worker on Zoom bundled up on their couch, waving an apology as they mute themselves for a coughing fit.
Remote and hybrid work environments have grown rapidly in recent years — a 2022 WorldatWork survey found that 82% of organizations offer fully remote positions, and 91% offer hybrid positions that combine in-office and remote work.
In some cases, employees are finding that the lack of separation between work and home that intensified during the pandemic is also affecting their propensity to take time off work when they're sick. One survey found that two-thirds of employees said they feel additional pressure to work while sick if they work remotely, as there is no risk of spreading their illness to coworkers.
Read: Sick Leave Use Is Evolving - Now Is the Time for Companies to Act
“The blurred lines between home and work that already exist when working remotely can become even more fuzzy when you add being sick to the equation,” said Laine Thomas Conway, vice president, engagement services strategy and enablement at Alight.
The Importance of Time Off
Experts believe organizations should communicate the importance of “taking the day” when needed to work-from-home employees as much as they do to in-office workers.
“Just because a sick employee can work remotely does not mean that they should,” said Shauna Bryngelson, senior principal, national absence, innovation and growth leader at Mercer. “Working through an illness may delay recovery or may further contribute to burnout.”
This is particularly important for those in an occupation where illness could affect their welfare or that of others, said Alex Henry, North American group benefits leader at WTW. For example, a remote mental health worker experiencing an episode of acute depression, or an employee who uses a keyboard all day who is having a carpal tunnel flare-up.
Webinar: Mitigating Employee Burnout by Prioritizing Mental Awareness
That said, remote employees who are ill may prefer to work a few hours here and there so that they have less to catch up on when they're well again.
And in some cases, hybrid employees may want the option to work remotely for a day rather than coming into the office.
“Promote equity between remote and in-office workers, allowing remote work when sick and reinforcing the availability of this option in the future,” Bryngelson said. “You can't take away employee choice.”
Managing Options for Hybrid Employees
The use of sick leave may play out differently with hybrid employees, particularly when companies emphasize the importance of in-person collaboration.
“Requirements for minimum onsite workdays can put employees in a bind if they feel that taking sick leave will jeopardize their employment by preventing them from meeting mandatory onsite time,” said Kevin Curry, senior vice president, absence management solutions at Alight.
Establish clear policies that don't penalize employees for using sick leave, and train frontline managers on how to work with hybrid employees who use sick leave on an onsite day.
Recording meetings, sharing meeting notes or offering catch-up sessions can help.
“This provides the time to recover while fostering a culture of teamwork,” Bryngelson said.
Communication Is Key to Implementing Consistent Policies
Generally speaking, a company's leave policies should be the same for both in-person and remote employees.
“Employers need to remember that the employee's needs are the same, regardless of where they perform their work,” Curry said.
There may need to be additional communication about the policies tailored to remote employees, particularly because a manager or coworker might be less likely to notice when those employees need time off.
Henry said there are visual cues that may be more readily apparent in an in-office setting, such as an employee bracing a wrist injury, struggling to get up from their desk as a result of a back problem or showing symptoms of the flu, but when working remotely, an employee may work through their symptoms as a result of the diminished or non-existent feedback loop from coworkers or supervisors who in an in-office setting may encourage that employee to take leave.
When leave plans are carefully designed and clearly communicated, companies do see their remote employees taking time off when needed.
“It might be that workers who have some agency over their schedule and work setting can feel empowered to take the time when they need it,” Thomas Conway said. “In general, the clearer the expectations about taking time off are, the less likely it is that you’ll have people using the policies inappropriately on one hand or not taking the time they need on the other.”
Editor's Note: Additional Content
For more information and resources related to this article see the pages below, which offer quick access to all WorldatWork content on these topics:
