What to Do about Work When Your Child is Sick

This winter, it feels like we’ve been sick a lot. The flu, sinus infections, more flu, and plenty of colds — all have visited my home, and some stayed a long time. Luckily for my husband and me, our daughter is faring very well this year. Her immune system must be strong now (at last!) from years in daycare. He and I, on the other hand, aren’t doing great.

My sister called me up the other week asking for help. She and her boyfriend were both very sick with a stomach bug. She wasn’t sure what to do about their 4-month-old daughter. That’s the bummer about parenting; there’s no “pause” button when you’re sick.

And when your child is the one sick, what then? It’s certainly an event to consider when you go back to work after having children. Sooner or later, your kids will get sick! We all want to be there for our children when they don’t feel good, but these things never occur at a convenient moment. Here are some of the strategies I’ve used to handle sick days.

• Take a sick day from work. Sure, those days are probably meant for your own sickness, but if you have a few left, this is one option. Some companies have personal days you can use. Some lucky people even get to rollover unused sick days!
• Work from home. Sick kids don’t bounce off the walls as much, so there is a chance you can park them in front of a movie for 90 minutes and get some work done — if you have the type of work that you can do from home. Cross your fingers that he/she needs a nap, and that’s another hour, maybe. 🙂 In some workplaces, this is typical; a lot of people are working parents and have to figure this stuff out, so it might be the norm at your office.
• Call for help. You’ll feel far less stressed later if you plan now for the day when your kid is sick and you cannot miss work. Do you have a babysitter, grandparent, friend, or someone who can help cover even half a day so you can attend that critical meeting? Find a babysitter who is OK with sick children or another parent who can handoff with you sometimes.
• Rock-paper-scissors with your partner. You don’t really have to do that, of course, but if you have a partner at home, you can discuss who has urgent work commitments for the day and who can probably pass.
• If you’re a single parent, the challenge is even greater. You may not be able to take turns with someone at home. But there may be other people to whom you can turn. In her book, “8 Steps to Being a Great Working Mom,” author Gretchen Gagel says one the greatest hurdles is asking for help. “We need to get over this belief that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Everyone needs help.” Reach out to friends, family, other parents you know from daycare or school. Search for a babysitting co-op or contact a babysitting or nanny agency; the key is preparation. You don’t want to be frantically trying to find someone when your child is sick and you’re late. Instead, take some time now to make a list of people you can call.
• Talk to your boss. If you can do this in advance, all the better. But alert her/him that you may sometimes need to go home early or stay home for sick children. Perhaps you and he/she can produce a plan for those days so that it’s less hassle when it occurs.
• Check your employee handbook. You may be able to take some unpaid days off per year. If you’ve used up sick and personal days, you can take one of these. Obviously, it’s not an appealing option, but it may work.

Everyone figures out their own path on this depending on their work and home situations. For example, shift workers often can’t get out of work. My mom was a nurse, and she often struggled to find a replacement so she could leave and come get us from school. Later, she moved to second shift, which helped, because then she was home during most of the day.

What helped you deal with children’s sick days?