When you take a sick day…

…do you feel:

• Guilty like you’ve gone and selfishly removed a day’s worth of productivity
• Worried that you’ll have so much piled up when you come back
• Anxious because you are so essential people can’t get by without you
• Relaxed because you’re helping yourself get better
• Semi-productive because you end up crawling in bed with your laptop and working anyway

or any variation of those? I’m sick today and have been all weekend. Luckily my firm is of the “don’t come to work when you’re sick, we’ll still pay you” mindset.

But, it makes me feel guilty. That guilt leads to semi-productiveness. And that semi-productiveness leads to me sending out emails and putting out as many fires as I can from the comfort of my home. I’m still getting rest. I have plenty of tissues at hand and I’m comfortable in my sweatpants.

Unfortunately, I know people who don’t get (free, unlimited, or any) sick days. Are you one of those? Do you have a laptop you bring home? My suspicion is you don’t. You’re not doing guilty work at home like me.