Key facts
- Some argue that allowing employees to text in sick respects their autonomy and accommodates neurodivergent individuals.
- Others contend that a phone call adds friction, deterring employees from taking unnecessary sick days.
- A call can provide more useful information about an employee's condition and potential return date than a text.
- The UK has seen sick days remain above pre-pandemic levels, impacting productivity and workforce planning.
- Some believe banning texting in sick is patronizing and undermines trust between employers and employees.
A debate is ongoing regarding the etiquette of calling in sick versus texting. Mita Dhullipala, founder and CEO of MD Comms Group, argues that employers should trust their adult employees to manage their own responsibilities, including when they are genuinely too unwell to work. She posits that the method of notification—text or call—is less important than timeliness and informativeness, and that forcing a call can be performative and a barrier for neurodivergent or anxious individuals. Dhullipala believes that most workplaces still operate on an infantilizing assumption of distrust, and that focusing on micromanagement rather than trust is detrimental to employee morale and empowerment. She suggests that employees who are routinely dishonest will present bigger problems than their method of calling in sick.