No News Is Not Good News; When Bad Times Come, 'Fess Up

You are killing it at work. But one bad bout of the flu has you out of commission for two weeks, and you are scrambling to cover your workload. Overwhelmed, frazzled, and energetically depleted, you attempt to tough it out without sharing your burdens with your manager or team. 

The next week, after missing key meetings and deadlines, you realize your dedication to work is at risk of being questioned.

Full disclosure

Keeping your manager and team informed (as opposed to trying to avoid saying anything) can help calm nerves, address fears, and reinforce your competence as a remote worker.

Why wait?

Illness happens to all of us at one time or another. It’s a sign of humanity not weakness. We all go through grief and stress. They are not things to be ashamed of. In the event your manager is unhappy about your situation, they are in the wrong, not you.

Talk to your manager as soon as you realize your personal life is impacting your work. Let him/her/they know what is going on and how you plan on handling your workload until things simmer down.

Are you a manager?

You need to be around for your team as well as keeping up with your own responsibilities, but ask yourself this; would you rather a direct report told you they were struggling? If you know what’s going on you can organize help or give them some additional time to finish their work. Your own manager probably feels the same; the more they know, the more they can do to help, or at least work around the problem.

Fostering open communication in your team will ultimately boost trust and reduce stress all round. The more they feel able to speak to you, the less time you’ll lose to personal days, long-term stress and quitting.

For more information about how I can help you and your team, get in touch.