How to Answer: How do you handle sick days?
13. How do you handle sick days?
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know how you handle things when you need to call in sick. Do you email, text, or completely ghost on your employer? Be brief in your answer and reassure the interviewer that you are not the type to call in sick frequently. You can also ask them what their preferred method of communication is, should you fall ill.
Answer Example
"I have called in sick just a couple of days in the last year or so. My current employer prefers that I remain out of the office if contagious! Could you share with me your sick policy and preferences?"
Admin
"Although I do not call in sick often, my current company does have a specific email related to sick days. We send a note explaining how many days we expect to be absent. This implementation was my idea because we have such a high volume of employees. Do you have a process in place for sick days and day-off requests?"
Manager
"What are sick days?! All kidding aside, if I am going to be out for a day, I will call my supervisor directly to ensure the situation is straightened out. He takes on my workload when I am away so I will debrief him on any urgent matters."
Marketing
"I perform much of my job on the laptop, so if I am under the weather, I will work from home to avoid getting anyone sick. It's a policy in my current office. Do you have a preference in these circumstances?"
Retail
"We run a pretty tight ship in my current job when it comes to scheduling. I know that a sick day can throw a lot of things off balance, for much of my team. I do not like calling in sick. Even if under the weather I will still go in and make it through as much of the day as possible. What is your sick day policy?"
Sales
"My company does not offer sick days; rather, we have PTO's which are Personal Time Off. If we need a PTO, we text or email the boss. The expectation is that we do not leave any clients or deals hanging, of course, but we have the benefit of the doubt when it comes to making responsible decisions. Do you offer PTO's or specific sick days?"
Teacher
"According to our union, if we are sick, we need to make arrangements for our substitute. I like this policy because it keeps everyone honest when it comes to truly being out for a good reason. Do you have a similar policy here?"
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
But if someone has been constantly on sick days and without much explanation, I will take it seriously and would like to understand the situation more. Upon understanding the circumstances, I will take the next steps by either lodging this down in his employee record as a reference for the future or ways we can help the individual so that he/she can be up and running again."
Jaymie's Feedback