What Are Your Thoughts on an Employer Expecting You to Work from Home When Sick?

TheGiantTomato on 03/09/2020 - 15:22
Last edited 03/09/2020 - 15:29

Hi all,

I was talking to a friend the other day about working from home when sick. I was recalling when I used to work as an employee in an accounting firm a few years ago. Aside from the odd client meeting, and it being easier to just get up and talk to other staff about tasks we were working on together, our jobs could almost entirely be done from home. Our systems were all cloud-based, nobody really had to be in the office.

I was someone who never really got sick, but when I did take sick leave I would still do a few hours of work from home - sometimes it was important, sometimes it could have waited. It never bothered me though as I was happy to contribute. These days I'm a contractor so if I don't work I don't get paid, but I digress.

The focus of our conversation was around this one time when I called my former employer in the morning and told them I was sick; and they responded by rattling off a full days' worth of work they wanted me to get done. I was taken aback by this, as in theory I was on sick leave and 'wasn't well enough to work'. As I said, I was always someone who was happy to voluntarily work from home when sick, but being expected to work kind of struck a nerve with me. I thought the whole point of sick leave was so you could rest and return to work as quickly as possible.

So I pose this question to the brilliant minds of OzBargain - is it ok for an employer to expect you to work a full day from home when sick?

Understandably this question is targeted at employees who work jobs that can be performed from home. With COVID influencing businesses to move work online, I imagine that's more of us these days.

Poll because OzBargain loves polls.

Poll Options

  • 1
    Yes, it's ok for an employer to expect you to work a normal day from home when you're sick
  • 12
    You're happy doing a few hours of voluntary work from home - but employer shouldn't expect it
  • 250
    No, you're on sick leave. Employer shouldn't expect you to do above bare minimum, eg checking emails
Education & Work

Comments

  • dust on 03/09/2020 - 15:24
    +16

    is it ok for an employer to expect you to work a full day from home when sick?

    No it's not.

  • GG57 on 03/09/2020 - 15:25
    +36

    You need another option:
    - No, you're on sick leave = no work

  • [Deactivated] on 03/09/2020 - 15:35
    -2

    Is this work or WoRk

  • plmko on 03/09/2020 - 15:42
    +1

    Let me guess, you were an auditor with one of the big guys? Hahaha

    • Banana on 03/09/2020 - 17:45

      I work with "one of the big guys" and my team emphasises on the importance of switching-off, like not checking emails on the weekend or, "just join this meeting quickly on my off day". I think it just depends on your team.

      • Findo on 04/09/2020 - 01:50

        I’m not working with one of the big guys or even the big 4, but my team has a culture of don’t ask, don’t tell when it comes to working after hours. Everyone works late but no one wants to hear about or find out someone was working after hours to meet deadlines.

        It’s gotten so ridiculous people set their status to appear away on Teams but continue to work on documents in SharePoint. Records are checked in and out of TRIM at ungodly hours. No one is foolish enough to say anything but god forbid you appear online accidentally.

        It sucks. I reckon it’s better to embrace the suck rather than denying the truth.

        • Banana on 04/09/2020 - 09:23

          It’s gotten so ridiculous people set their status to appear away on Teams but continue to work on documents in SharePoint.

          That's crazy! Don't people usually do the opposite?

          My team often pulls late night, (I was up till 12 last night to do work and saw a few on my project doing the same), the company is moving forward trying to capture these extra hours people put in in order to restructure our pricing/budgeting model. I know that unpaid OT is still inevitable but just the idea of them wanting to make a change is still good.

          I hope the at last compensate you financially (e.g. big pay check).

          • Findo on 04/09/2020 - 12:28

            @Banana: I wish we were compensated fairly. I work in government, so there are no bonuses on offer and very little overtime.

            No flex time accrued when working from home too.

        • Ayanami on 04/09/2020 - 13:26

          I've always found it quite grating when lawyers (I am a lawyer) "complain-brag" about working ridiculous hours. Unless you're Bret Walker, the quality of document you are drafting at 3am after working 5 consecutive 18 hours days is not going to be good.

  • iampoor on 03/09/2020 - 16:00
    +4

    If I am just sick with a cough or cold and am staying at home to not infect others then I would work since I am still functioning and not on sick leave as such.

    If I am on sick leave I do not work. If you are sick enough to use your leave entitlements, I don't see how an employer could reasonably ask you to work.

    Sure, there might be urgent things but unless it's life or death, it can wait. I had something similar once and I made these two points:

    1 - If I can't even take a sick day, that means I'm pretty indispensable. Where is my raise?
    2 - I am seriously medicated, if something stuffs up it'll be on you, not me.

    This was two days after a planned operation on the day I was discharged and I think I still had some serious painkillers from the hospital coursing through my veins, safe to say I didn't end up doing the work and that was one of a long list of incidents that pushed me out of Audit.

  • Ryanek on 03/09/2020 - 16:07
    +3

    There's a reason why Codral cancelled their "Soilder on" campaign. Working while sick is a bad idea no matter where you are.

    • iforgotmysocks on 03/09/2020 - 17:11
      +6

      I thought it was because Codral had drafted enough soldiers to invade the sovereign state of Dimetapp.

  • Quantumcat on 03/09/2020 - 16:14
    +1

    Yes of course you can work from home when you are sick

    This is when you are a little bit sick but it doesn't affect you too much, you just might be contagious / unpleasant to be around (coughing / blowing nose occasionally)

    In this case however you aren't using your sick leave and are getting paid for a normal day of work

    If you are sick enough that you can't concentrate or coughing/blowing nose so frequently you lose your train of thought and can't have a phone call / webex meeting or you need to nap during the day then you have sick leave and you don't work at all

  • CyberMurning on 03/09/2020 - 16:31
    +3

    slap the dr certificate to your boss face and give a finger too

  • th123 on 03/09/2020 - 16:39
    +6

    My thoughts would be:

    • Use sick leave = 0 work
    • Bit of a cold/unwell etc. and work = same as working normally
    • Work half a day and stop because your'e sick = put in half a day of sick leave
  • screensaver on 03/09/2020 - 16:43
    +1

    I have sometimes been unwell and cannot even do/read emails such as having a headache or food poisoning

    • [Deactivated] on 04/09/2020 - 08:15
      +1

      Exactly. Anyone who suffers migraines will know you can’t do any when you have one.

  • Simoneee on 03/09/2020 - 17:05
    +4

    Leave phone on mute and not respond to anything work related

  • TChalla on 03/09/2020 - 17:15
    +1

    Depends how sick, I still WFH when I have like a cold. If really sick then no (was sick 2 weeks ago and I did not work - have been WFH since March year).

  • p1 ama on 03/09/2020 - 17:29

    The way I see it is that this is just a result of the blending of leisure and work as we've moved more towards a professional (instead of labour-intensive) workforce.

    If you work in a factory, for instance, then your work is really easily defined, but when you work a professional job, your work is some intangible output as opposed to the actual hours that you are putting in. In other words, you are paid a salary as opposed to a casual hourly wage.

    That being said, I'd personally check my emails on the weekend and on holidays purely because it's a habit and I don't mind keeping in contact with work and knowing what they're up to. If I was well enough on sick leave, I would do the same. However, I wouldn't actually be doing any real "work". If it balances it out, just think of the amount of time that you spend going on coffee breaks, talking to colleagues, reading the newspaper, browsing OzB…etc. during your paid working hours. I actually quite prefer it this way where work is just a part of life rather than having a separate work-life and leisure life. Others may have different preferences.

    In regards to "sick leave", I don't think it's really that difficult. You're entitled to your sick leave. How much you can/can't work depends on how sick you are. You can make up your mind personally.

  • [Deactivated] on 03/09/2020 - 17:54
    +1

    Depends on what kind of "sick" and what kind of work.

    One of the main arguments for having sick leave was to curb spread of illnesses. This was all argued in an era before the average person could reasonably perform their duties from home.

    If you have the sniffles and the sneeze, I don't see how a request to work from home is unreasonable.

    We live in a time where we are both arguing against automation of jobs to protect the unskilled person, and arguing to allow for human weakness/error.

    • p1 ama on 04/09/2020 - 17:19

      We live in a time where we are both arguing against automation of jobs to protect the unskilled person

      I agree with your broader point, but I would say that as the developing world starts to catch up with the developed world in terms of their skills and education, and as AI becomes more advanced, we are not just looking at automation of unskilled jobs, but we are looking at the automation of skilled jobs as well.

  • morse on 03/09/2020 - 18:07
    +2

    Depends if you’re using sick leave or not.

    If paid or unpaid sick leave, then only what is absolutely necessary to handover or what you choose to volunteer.

    If being paid for a normal day without it being deducted from your sick leave allowance then only as much as you can manage/are willing to do in your condition.

    There should also not be any ‘expectations’ in terms of what type of leave you choose and whether you’re up for a little bit of work from home or not. However it’s probably dependent on the culture in your organisation and precedent you’ve set in the past.

  • Penumbrous on 04/09/2020 - 08:20
    +1

    If you have been deemed unfit to work and needing sick leave, continuing to work can have implications to insurances as you may be impaired. Sick leave is for recovering so you can return to work healthy not for working from home.

  • mjwills on 04/09/2020 - 09:05
    +2

    It depends partly on the nature of the sickness. Am I too sick to be around other people (i.e. infection risk) but not sick enough to require rest? Well then sure working from home is reasonable (obviously this means no need to take sick leave). Ultimately it is the employee's decision to make that judgement though.

  • MontyMacaw on 04/09/2020 - 10:39
    +1

    In principle I would say a definite NO with a F-U attached.However, my pragmatic side of the brain says that this could be negotiable on the condition that it was treated as an event to event situation. If you are sick and need to get rest then NEVER. No calls no texts, no emails leave me the F alone. My home is my sanctuary. If however you were in varying degrees of sickness say from recuperating to staying away so as not to infect others then some work could be negotiated provided that your sick leave is not affected. If they want you to do any work then you do not lose a sick day entitlement because of it and you get paid for the full day. Reasoning being that your pay should not be negatively affected and if the employer wants your services while you are on sick leave you do not lose your sick leave entitlements. If they really need you they should pay for that. Anything less leaves you open to being taken advantage of. BUT Dr’s orders are sacrosanct - if they say complete rest you have exactly that. It’s a very dangerous precedent to work from home when on sick leave as many employers will not respect your rights given the chance.

  • PerfectShopper on 04/09/2020 - 10:41

    Stupid of the employer. Sick employees can't do quality work and I'd have to take three extra days off to get better after it. I recall having the flu….trying to help do a task I was normally proficient at….I ended up slumped in the car exhausted, unable to move. I also passed my flu onto everybody. At home, I could barely swallow, felt like I'd been hit by seven trucks and told the hospital I felt like I was dying. Stupid hospital misdiagnosed me. Surprised I didn't die. I could barely raise a glass to drink, let alone "work". It is none of the employer's business what you do while sick.

  • RogerSyd on 04/09/2020 - 11:04
    +1

    Sick Leave.. no work. Health should be the first priority

  • brad1-8tsi on 04/09/2020 - 13:00

    If I'm on sick leave I don't do work. No emails, no nothing. Nobody is indispensable.

  • 82norm on 04/09/2020 - 15:09

    Work, life, balance is becoming blurred in the digital age. Being sick is almost no excuse. Sad really.

    • GG57 on 04/09/2020 - 15:49
      +1

      The poll results would appear not to support your statement

  • ozbjunkie on 05/09/2020 - 03:33

    Lol. they pay me I work.

    No pay no work.

    Sick leave no work.

    Unpaid overtime yeah nah thanks but no thanks.

    And what's why I'm not employable. But that's ok. I'll work for myself.

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