So, what is it you need to communicate when asking for sick leave and how can asynchronous communication<\/a> apps and sick leave time tracking tools help you achieve those results?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n\n\n Changing the way we communicate at work has changed the way we ask for sick leave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though some things have changed, others have remained the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, many employees still feel pressured to work even when they can\u2019t perform at full capacity, leading to instances of presenteeism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, you\u2019d think this issue would be less prevalent in the era of hybrid and remote work<\/a>. After all, employee absences may be more noticeable in organizations that prioritize on-site work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, as more organizations transitioned to hybrid and remote work, many employees still found it difficult to disengage from work when sick, as Edward Hones<\/a>, a workers\u2019 rights attorney, noted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEver since the rise of remote work, there has been a shift in perspective around sick leaves. Initially, remote employees hesitated to call in sick because the idea that they were in the comfort of their home put an unsaid pressure to push through.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Luckily, many HR professionals quickly realized that this new form of presenteeism was causing employees to burn out<\/a>. As a result, employers have started to encourage workers to take time off when needed, according to Hones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis shift in perspective is also why HR heads don\u2019t mind if the employee calls in sick through an email or text message. HR teams focus on the message more than the communication source<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n So, if you were worried that requesting a sick leave as a remote worker or calling out sick via chat wouldn\u2019t be seen as professional, you can rest assured. No one should hold it against you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, you just have to learn how to tell your boss you\u2019re sick without revealing any unnecessary details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask for a sick day on Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If there\u2019s one benefit to using asynchronous communication platforms like Pumble<\/a> by CAKE.com<\/a> to ask for a day off, it\u2019s that most people don\u2019t feel the need to overcommunicate or use strange business phrases<\/a> or industry jargon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of going into too much detail about your condition, you should maintain your professional boundaries by focusing on just two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, Edward Hones said it best:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe aim is to communicate:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018I\u2019m not feeling great, so I won\u2019t be available for 3 days. I\u2019ve communicated with Peter to finalize the shirt designs with the vendor.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This information is more than enough for any HR leader. Anything more will be over communication and anything less leaves room for ambiguities.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n With this in mind, let\u2019s get into our quick guide to notifying your manager or team that you\u2019re sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Improve collaboration and cut down on emails by moving your team communication to Pumble.<\/p>\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Though it\u2019s best to maintain professional boundaries when requesting sick leave, overcommunication still has its uses in remote work environments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re sick, the last thing you want to do is think of an appropriate \u201cI\u2019m not feeling well today\u201d message for work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But really, sending off a quick message doesn\u2019t have to be so complicated, as long as you follow the steps outlined in this guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as you know you won\u2019t be able to be as productive as you\u2019d like to be, you let your manager know by sending them a direct message<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you go to draft the message, start the conversation<\/a> the way you normally would, then go right into your explanation. Remember to focus on the duration of your absence and any work-related changes you\u2019d like to propose<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you realize that you\u2019ll need to take the day off the night before, you can even schedule the message<\/a> ahead of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The resulting message should look something like the one below.<\/p>\n\n\n Try scheduling messages in Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, the exact wording of your message depends on your company culture<\/a> and other variables, such as the sick leave policy you have. However, you should be able to ask for a day off by following one of the professional sick leave message templates we\u2019ll propose after this guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever struggled to respond to a team member\u2019s sick leave notice? Here\u2019s an article that might help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your organization uses a sick leave time tracking tool like Clockify<\/a> by CAKE.com, recording and extending your sick leave will be a breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, there\u2019s no need to make things more complicated when you\u2019re already struggling<\/strong>. To record your sick leave, simply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to Pumble\u2019s Clockify integration<\/a>, your supervisor will be able to approve your Clockify time off request in Pumble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once they\u2019ve approved the request, you\u2019ll get a notification through Pumble and your status will automatically change to reflect your availability (or lack thereof).<\/p>\n\n\n Basically, having Clockify connected to your Pumble workspace makes it easier for anyone who needs to be notified about your sick leave \u2014 from your manager to HR and finance departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Improve collaboration and cut down on emails by moving your team communication to Pumble.<\/p>\n\n Now, if your Pumble workspace isn\u2019t connected to Clockify, there are other ways to make sure everyone knows not to expect a reply from you. Namely, you could:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t feel well enough to post that announcement yourself, you can always ask for help<\/a> and have a manager or a trusted coworker break the news.<\/p>\n\n\n Depending on how your team works, that kind of announcement may not even be necessary. After all, changing your status should be enough for most people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, if Clockify changes your status automatically, it\u2019ll also create an out-of-office status banner at the bottom of all chats and channels you\u2019re a part of to signal your absence (as in the image above). This banner should be visible to all users who have enabled banners in their advanced preferences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If an employee is taking a prolonged absence or leaving the company altogether, here\u2019s a guide to help you draft that announcement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try Pumble for free<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you end up having to take a prolonged sick leave, your manager should probably know about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, since both Clockify and Pumble have mobile app versions<\/strong>, staying in touch<\/a> should be fairly simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if your initial message mentioned an upcoming doctor\u2019s visit, a follow-up can include any pertinent information you might have received:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, Joan, I just wanted to let you know that my doctor advised me to rest for a few days. I\u2019ll be off all week, but Mike says he can hold down the fort until I come back<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, if you just want to quickly update your manager without the whole team knowing you\u2019re online, be sure to set yourself as away<\/strong> in Pumble before you go on sick leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That will prevent the app from switching on your online indicator and keep you grayed out to other users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you come back from sick leave, the app will ask you if you want to set yourself as active. Alternatively, you\u2019ll be able to manually find the option as shown below.<\/p>\n\n\n Use Pumble\u2019s mobile app to check in with your team even when you\u2019re away from your computer.<\/p>\n\n Now that you know how to notify your manager that you\u2019re sick, let\u2019s get into the specifics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Going forward, we\u2019ll share simple message and email templates for requesting a sick day, as well as a template you can use to ask for understanding when you plan to keep working while you\u2019re under the weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exact wording of your \u201cI\u2019m not feeling well today\u201d message for work will change depending on its recipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, most of them will have roughly the same outline, starting with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, here are some examples of that kind of message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood morning, <\/em>Milo<\/em><\/strong>. I wanted to let you know that I\u2019ve requested a sick day today. I\u2019ve spoken to <\/em>Nick about him wrapping up the task I was working on yesterday<\/em><\/strong>, so there should be no issues in my absence. I\u2019ll be sure to update you if I end up seeing a doctor and having to extend my leave<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHi, <\/em>Mary<\/em><\/strong>. I\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll have to take a <\/em>rain check for that meeting<\/em><\/strong> we had scheduled today. I\u2019m not feeling well so I\u2019ll just take a sick day and see how I feel tomorrow. I\u2019ve asked <\/em>Jennifer <\/em><\/strong>to answer any questions you might have until then<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello team. Just letting you know that I\u2019m taking a sick leave. I\u2019m not sure how long I\u2019ll be gone, but if you have any questions for me in my absence, you can ask <\/em>Andy or Claire<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you decide to use one of these examples as a template, replace the bolded parts with specifics related to your situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact your team on Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to notify your manager or your team about your sick leave via email, you\u2019ll have to adjust the wording and formatting of your message to the medium by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some examples you can adjust to suit your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHi <\/em>Mary<\/em><\/strong>,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m emailing you to inform you that I\u2019m feeling unwell today, so I\u2019ll take one of my paid sick leave days.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll check my email periodically, but <\/em>Karen and Patrick<\/em><\/strong> should be able to answer any questions you might have for me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I appreciate your understanding,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Take care,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim Vardy<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello <\/em>Rob<\/em><\/strong>,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, I\u2019ll have to take a sick leave this week. You\u2019ll find my doctor\u2019s note attached below.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve asked my team to handle any urgent tasks without me and to message you with any questions they may have.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you for understanding. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kind regards,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nick Mulder<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n While you\u2019re in your inbox, you can also set up an out-of-office message<\/a> that will go out to anyone who tries to send you an email while you\u2019re on sick leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowadays, most people rely on casual forms of communication, which is why writing more formal emails has become difficult. If you also struggle to write professional emails, check out these useful guides:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/How-to-Say-Youre-Not-Feeling-Well-Professionally-With-Templates-cover.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe new etiquette: Professionalism in the digital age<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Ed](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ed-Hones.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nWhy brevity and speed are more professional than detailed explanations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/features@2x.png)
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4 steps to notifying your team on Pumble<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Notify your manager<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/A-scheduled-sick-leave-message-on-Pumble-a-team-communication-app.webp\")
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Step 2: Use Clockify to request time off <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Requesting](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Requesting-sick-leave-through-Clockify-the-time-tracking-software.webp\"){kind=tracking}
![\"An](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/An-approved-sick-leave-in-Clockify-automatically-applies-a-sick-leave-status-in-Pumble-the-business-messaging-app.webp\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/bundle@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nStep 3: Let your team know about your absence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Milo](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Milo-makes-an-announcement-in-Joans-name-on-Pumble-the-team-communication-app.webp\")
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Optional step: Update your manager as necessary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Joan](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Joan-updates-her-manager-and-extends-her-sick-leave-through-Pumble-a-business-messaging-app.webp\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-1@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nProfessional sick day message templates for 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A short and direct message template for calling out sick via chat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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A professionally worded email template for calling in sick<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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