It’s not always easy to decide if you shouldstay home from workor school when you have symptoms like a sore throat, fever, or cough. If you’re a caregiver, it can be hard to decide whether to send your child to school or daycare, especially if they need to take a test or play a sport that day.
If you don’t feel well on an important day, you might be tempted to just “tough it out.” Pushing through your symptoms when you’re sick makes it harder for your body to get better, but that’s not the only thing you need to think about. You also need to remember that when you are around others when you’re ill, you could get someone else sick.
Staying home can protect others, while also giving you a chance to recover. This article will go over some guidelines to help you decide if you should call out from work when you’re feeling sick.
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Differences Between Communicable and Infectious Diseases
Should You Stay Home?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidelines for stopping the spread of infectious diseases.
Many other contagious illnesses can make you sick and that you, in turn, can spread to others.
Knowing the most common signs and symptoms of an infection that can be spread to other people will help you decide if you should call out sick.
Think of Yourself—and OthersStaying home when you’re sick is important because your body needs to rest. It’s also important that you are not around other people while you are able to spread the infection, as you could get them sick, too.
Think of Yourself—and Others
Staying home when you’re sick is important because your body needs to rest. It’s also important that you are not around other people while you are able to spread the infection, as you could get them sick, too.
How Long Is the Flu Contagious?
If You Have a Fever
A fever is one of the clearest signs that you have an infection. Stay home if you have a fever of 100.4°F or higher.
To prevent this from happening, don’t go back to your office or school until 24 hours after yourfevergoes away without the use offever-reducing medicationlike Tylenol or Advil.
4 Ways to Safely Bring Down a Fever
If You Have a Cough
No matter where you are, always cough into the crook of your elbow rather than coughing into your hand. This helps prevent the infectious particles from beingspread into the airor on the things that you touch.
Washing your hands regularly is also critical to preventing the spread of infection. Having clean hands helps keep you from gettinginfectious particles to surfacesthat other people will touch.
What’s the Best Way to Treat a Cough?
If You Have a Sore Throat
Somecauses of a sore throatare not illnesses you can spread to others. In some cases, you’ll know the cause of a sore throat right away—for example, because you were cheering at a sporting event the night before.
However, asore throatcan also be a symptom of many contagious illnesses, likestrep throat. It might come on gradually or suddenly, depending on what is causing it. With strep, you’ll also likely have a fever.
If it hurts to swallow, breathe, or talk, your safest bet is to stay home. You’ll also want to call your provider to see if you need to be tested for an infection that needs to be treated.
If you have strep throat, you’ll need to take antibiotics. The rule of thumb is that you should stay home from work or school until the fever passes and it’s been at least 12 hours since you started the antibiotic.
Should You Stay Home With Laryngitis?It depends. Not all illnesses that inflame thevoice box, causing you to behoarseor “lose your voice,” are contagious. If you only havelaryngitis, you can likely be out and about without concern of getting others sick (just try torest your voice). If you also have symptoms of a respiratory infection, however, you may be contagious and should stay home.
Should You Stay Home With Laryngitis?
It depends. Not all illnesses that inflame thevoice box, causing you to behoarseor “lose your voice,” are contagious. If you only havelaryngitis, you can likely be out and about without concern of getting others sick (just try torest your voice). If you also have symptoms of a respiratory infection, however, you may be contagious and should stay home.
How Long Is Strep Throat Contagious?
If You Have a Runny Nose
If your nose is only a littlestuffed upand you aren’t having trouble breathing, the cause of yourrunny nosecould be something you can’t spread to others, likeseasonal allergies.
However, if you’re constantly blowing your nose, it’s more likely you’ve caught something. In this case, it’s best to take a sick day.
If you do have to blow your nose while you’re out, use a tissue that you can throw away, then wash your hands after.
Why Allergies Make Your Nose Run
If You Have an Earache
If you have an earache as well as other cold or flu symptoms, it’s more likely that you could make others sick. If that’s the case, call out sick.
Can You Catch an Ear Infection From Someone Else?
If You Have Vomiting and Diarrhea
However, there are also gastrointestinal illnesses that are very easy to spread to other people, like the “stomach flu.”
To be on the safe side, stay home when you’re vomiting and for 48 hours after the last time that you vomited and/or haddiarrhea.
The 10 Best Foods to Eat When You’re Sick
If You Have Pink Eye
If you have pink eye, you’ll need to stay home. If you don’t have a fever or other symptoms, you may be allowed to return to school or work with your healthcare provider’s approval.
How Long Is Pink Eye Contagious?
If You Have a Rash
There are also some very serious rashes. While they’re less common, they’re important to know about.
For example,methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)is a serious bacterial infection that can cause a rash.
The virus has gotten better at surviving treatment with antibiotics (antibiotic resistance). In some cases, people can die from MRSA infections.
To find out of a rash is contagious or not, you’ll need to see your provider. If it is, you’ll have to stay home from work until it’s been treated.
Can You Catch a Shingles Rash From Someone Else?
What About COVID-19?
If you havesigns and symptoms of COVID-19, you should limit your contact with other people—even the people you live with.To reduce the chances of spreading COVID, the CDC recommends that you:
Symptoms of COVID-19 include:
COVID TestingGetting tested for COVIDcan help you make informed decisions on how to further protect yourself and others.
COVID Testing
Getting tested for COVIDcan help you make informed decisions on how to further protect yourself and others.
How Long Is COVID-19 Contagious?
Work Location and Type
The type of work you do and where you work can also affect how easily you could spread an illness to other people.
For example, if you’re a cook or food server, you should stay home until there is no longer any risk that you couldcontaminate the food.
If you are a healthcare worker or you work around people who have aweak immune system, you should stay home long enough to be sure you are no longer contagious.
Office space that’s separated from others can provide some protection, but few of us are completely isolated at work.
You can spread germs to other people in shared spaces even if you don’t see them face to face.
For example, picking up the office coffee pot, turning on the sink in the bathroom, or using the copy machine could all be opportunities to spread an infection.
Sick Building Syndrome: Symptoms and How to Get Rid of Them
How to Call In Sick
The exact process for calling in sick may vary from job to job. Consider following these steps:
How Do I Call In Sick for Mental Health?Regardless of why you need a sick day, it’s best to keep your reasons brief and even somewhat vague. You don’t need to tell your boss all about your symptoms. Simply inform them that you are not feeling well and need some time to recover so that you can perform at your best.
How Do I Call In Sick for Mental Health?
Regardless of why you need a sick day, it’s best to keep your reasons brief and even somewhat vague. You don’t need to tell your boss all about your symptoms. Simply inform them that you are not feeling well and need some time to recover so that you can perform at your best.
Summary
If you think you should “tough it out” and go to work or school when you’re sick, keep in mind that your well-being isn’t the only concern. If you leave home when you’re sick, you could get other people sick, too.
Certain symptoms, like a fever, a sore throat; vomiting and diarrhea, or a contagious rash are good signs that you need to take a sick day.
If you work a job where you’re around people with weak immune systems or you cook or serve food, it’s even more important that you err on the side of caution and call out sick if you think you could make others ill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Remember that everyone needs a sick day eventually. Though someone may be picking up the work you’re not able to do, you might find yourself doing the same for them one day. And if you’re contagious, staying home means you are sparing others from catching what you have.
Yes, but laws in your area may only allow this if you have been absent for a certain number of days. Check your company’s sick policy. The note only needs to contain the date you were seen when you can return to work, and if there are any restrictions in what you can do.
At-will employees can be fired for almost any reason, but some states and work arrangements have certain protections in place to prevent termination for being out sick.Speak to your state’sDepartment of Laborif this is a concern for you.
How to Stay Healthy If Your Family Is Sick
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Healthy habits to help protect against flu.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing spread of respiratory viruses when you’re sick.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About handwashing.American Osteopathic Association.Sore throat.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical guidance for Group A streptococcal pharyngitis.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rhinoviruses.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Dizziness and balance.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How to prevent Norovirus.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye: causes and how it spreads.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About pink eye.Penn Medicine.MRSA infections (methicillin-resistantstaphylococcus aureus).U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions.Preventing spread of respiratory viruses when you’re sick.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Respiratory virus guidance update FAQs.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing and respiratory viruses.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing norovirus.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Infection control.Swartz Swidler, LLC.What Is the doctors note for work law?USA.gov.Termination guidance for employers.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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