You're On MC Again?!

It’s bothersome having to cover for a team member who’s always taking time off. Here’s how to relieve the burden and prevent the ripple effect of work not getting done on time.

- Sasha Gonzales

We all know what it’s like to have to cover for a co-worker who’s away sick or on urgent leave. It’s not something most of us mind but when the co-worker in question goes on medical leave a lot or is always taking days off at the last minute, it can get annoying.

Whether or not your colleague really needs to take leave is one thing – and it’s easy to resent her if she’s just skiving – but it’s no fun dealing with extra work or having to help this colleague with her tasks until she returns to the office. Long or habitual absences can also disrupt a team’s workflow and affect the integrity of a business.

What Is Everyone Entitled To? 

Each team member should be aware of how much annual leave and the number of sick days they’re entitled to take per year. Julia Ng, a senior executive coach at Executive Coach International, which offers career coaching and leadership training services, says that if your company’s annual and sick leave policies were explained to your team members before they were hired, there should be no excuse for them to argue with you about their entitlements.

In addition, staff should know what constitutes paid and unpaid leave. There should also be guidelines on what’s expected of them, before, during and after their leave of absence, and the consequences of abuse of the leave policies should be spelled out – for example, disciplinary action or termination.

Dealing With Employees Who Abuse The System 

If one of your team members is sick or has a personal problem that needs to be dealt with urgently, and she still has available leave, then she should be allowed the time off. But occasionally, you may encounter an employee who abuses the system, leaving the rest of the team in the lurch.