Have you ever dreaded making a call? Especially if you’ve had to deal with a bad boss who wouldn’t take no for an answer when you just needed that one sick day or had a terrible accident on your way to work?

Turns out you aren’t alone, as the good folks on Reddit also have had this issue, with bosses still wanting to get calls if you’re taking a day off as if it were the stone age. People discuss the best ways to tell your boss you simply aren’t gonna be there today.

More info: Reddit

Calling off work sometimes stumps even the most confident people, leaving them at a loss for what to say to their boss

Image credits: David365 (not the actual photo)

The poster asked what’s better, to call off work or text your supervisor, sharing an image of an employer complaining about calls with his question

Image credits: Gary_October

A heated debate was sparked in the comments with some people saying that it’s about time bosses accepted a text and others saying that it’s still better to call sometimes

The post was shared to the antiwork subreddit, asking for readers’ thoughts about calling in vs. texting that you’ll be absent from work. People soon started discussing what’s better and sharing their opinions on the issue. 

Some mentioned that their employers preferred getting a text or email, as it creates documentation. Employers even chimed in, saying that text is the better way to receive such information. Lots of people joked that if you don’t call, it doesn’t give your boss a chance to berate you, so there’s that.

People especially seemed to emphasize the fact that a call could be forgotten, or a jilted employee or manager could say that they never got the call. Managers themselves came forth in the comments to say that they are liable to forget a call, but textual information is best because it’s far harder to simply forget and much easier to manage. 

People also mentioned that calling doesn’t just give some people the pleasure of berating the worker, but it may also be an intimidation tactic. It allows the bosses to put pressure on workers that they wouldn’t be able to put into writing, as it would be unprofessional.

Image credits: Andrey (not the actual photo)

A question you may be asking yourself is how you should know when it’s right to call in sick. The best way to find out is to check out your company’s sick policy if they’ve got one, USnews says. Another good indicator that you shouldn’t come into work is if you think that you’re contagious, especially in a post-Covid world. A major sign that you should skip work is if you feel nauseous or are vomiting.

For more specific cases, if you get into an accident or your children are sick, it’s best to contact your HR department and see what the policy is in these cases.

But how should you call into work after all? Is there some procedure or tips and tricks that you should stick to? 

MasterClass has a short guide on how to remain professional when calling into work. They say that you should inform your supervisor as soon as possible and be brief about your problems or appointments without dramatizing. Then you should choose the best way to inform your manager, as there may be a specific policy on how it should be done. If you’re short on time, you should choose the method that will reach your supervisor the fastest, MasterClass says.

Image credits: Seth Werkheiser (not the actual photo)

People often wonder and discuss how much personal detail they should reveal to their bosses when they say they won’t be coming in that day. A lot of people, especially on the antiwork subreddit, suggest that you should provide as little personal information as possible.

TopCV suggests that you should tell your supervisor in no more than two sentences that you won’t be coming in today, only briefly naming what’s the issue.

If you are too dramatic or explicit about it, it’ll make them doubt the truthfulness of your story. If you think your message is a bit short, you could thank your boss for their understanding and tell them that you’re eager to return to work.

Same goes if you need time off for your mental health or to care for a sick loved one – let your boss know that you need some rest or time off and leave it at that. Although, depending on your employer, you may not be compensated for it.

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The original post collected a huge amount of reactions, with more than 26 thousand upvotes and nearly 7 thousand comments. Many people had tips for people calling off work, suggesting the best course of action. Others joked about controlling bosses and shared stories of how they had called off work in interesting ways. A great excuse for missing work we found was “record-breaking bowel movement,” and if you’d like to see more of the silliest excuses from work, Bored Panda has you covered. Provide your thoughts and opinions about this issues in the comments down below!

The discussion was highly varied, with managers chiming in about the issue and people providing their reasonings why texting is better than calling

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