The Debate: Should you be allowed to text in sick?
The government’s back-to-work tsar wants you to call, but is texting in sick really an issue? We hear the case for and against in this week’s Debate
YES: If someone is routinely dishonest, whether they text or call is unlikely the biggest issue
To me, the core of this debate comes down to a more foundational issue around the fact that employers seem to feel that adults cannot be trusted to be adults.
If I employ someone, at the bare minimum, I am confident that they understand cause and effect I.e. they are aware that I’m running a business and that their performance in return for cash is dependent on that performance being reasonable/good. I trust therefore, that they will take responsibility for their work and, it follows, that they also know when they are too genuinely unwell to do that.
When we break it down on a practical level, what difference does it then make if they text or call me to let me know that they are sick? As long as it is timely and informative?
For some people, particularly those who are neurodivergent or anxious, a phone call can also present an unnecessary barrier. If someone is genuinely ill, forcing them through a conversation simply to demonstrate that they are sufficiently sick feels performative.
It is my strong feeling that many workplaces still operate on the assumption that employees need constant rules, micromanaging, monitoring and boundaries to behave responsibly in any way shape or form. It is infantilising and rarely creates the conditions for a happy, empowered workforce.
Of course, the reality is that some people, sometimes take advantage. Let’s think about that on the flip side. If an employee is routinely dishonest about being sick or simply wants to avoid working, whether they text or call in sick is unlikely to be the biggest problem you will have with them.
Good management certainly means addressing those problems when they arise but I really do feel that it does not mean designing workplace policies around the assumption that everyone is trying to get away with something.
My motto? Trust people until they give you a reason not to.
Mita Dhullipala is the founder and CEO of MD Comms Group
NO: A call puts more friction between coming into the office and a cheeky duvet day
The UK has a problem with sickies. We’re the only G7 economy where sick days remain above pre-pandemic levels.
Sickies damage productivity. TAB couldn’t offer commercial mortgages at bridging speed if we were short-staffed. And sickies are unfair. If someone abuses our sick leave policy, our other employees have to pick up the slack, damaging morale. Sickies make workforce planning harder; you can’t plan around them. Plus they’re culturally contagious; if people see colleagues taking sick days without consequences, they learn attendance is optional.
Sickies are not victimless crimes and I don’t want to facilitate people taking them. If you’re ill, at the very least you need to call HR and speak to your line manager. Don’t hide behind a text.
Equally, if people are genuinely ill, a call will give us more useful information than a WhatsApp saying, “I’m ill and I won’t be in today”. At the very least, we’ll find out when you think you’re going to be back – or if you’re waiting for treatment.
A call makes it easier to spot if an employee needs support. A conversation can reveal that an employee is struggling in a way that a two-line Whatsapp message cannot.
It also keeps the employee connected to work. I don’t want people to disengage from us and I think regular (appropriate) conversations help maintain a connection.
Mostly though, I think a call puts more friction between coming into the office and a cheeky duvet day.
Letting people text in a sickie sends the wrong message.
Duncan Kreeger is the CEO of commercial mortgage lender TAB,
THE VERDICT
Government-appointed back-to-work tsar Sir Charlie Mayfield thinks getting workers to specifically call in sick – that is rather than sending a quick text – could help “rehumanise” the workplace and get people back into work. The recommendation, part of a report from the Keep Britain Working taskforce, is aimed at those on long-term leave due to ill health, but it’s sparked a debate on broader sick leave etiquette too.
The idea’s main underpinning – that calling is harder than texting – is true, especially for our youngest phone-shy generations, so Mr Kreeger is right that it would add a deterrent for skivers. But, as Ms Dhullipala suggests, for those really committed to dishonesty, there are likely to be deeper issues at play than can be fixed by a phone call. And banning texting altogether is, let’s be honest, pretty patronising. Trust between workers and employers is a powerful yet underrated currency, and assuming the worst of your workers is no way to get their best.