What Do Work From Home Moms Do When They Are Sick?

This is one of the top three questions I am asked when someone finds out I work from home.

• “Do you have to call someone?”
• “Do you pretend you’re working?”
• “Do you get in trouble?”
• “Do you get mental health days?”

I usually laugh because the problem isn’t about sick days, it’s about how I work vs. how most people work.

I generally don’t have to call anyone when I’m sick, because if I’m in the middle of a project I can send over an email to any clients – on a “need to know” basis – letting them know I’m not available. I try not to actually tell people I’m sick if I can help it, because I just don’t like to – it’s probably a holdover from being an office manager back in the day and wondering anytime someone called off if they were really sick or just saying it for a day off.

But when you work from home and have your freedom, you work on deadlines, not for eight hours a day. Sure, this can be difficult when you have a big deadline and might work through the night once in a while, but it’s more than worth it when you’re laying in bed sick, knowing no one is going to get mad at you or threaten to replace you!