“Calling in sick can be a source of anxiety for workers who wonder when to call, what to say and how to say it. They may question if they are truly sick enough to take the day off or worry it will reflect poorly on them to miss work.

‘First, there is a worry about the work they are going to miss,” says Christy Pruitt-Haynes, head of performance practice for NeuroLeadership Institute, a human resources consulting firm. “Second, there’s a bit of the unknown. You don’t know how your manager is going to respond.’”