Sick Leave Email to Colleagues: Professional Peer Notification
While your manager handles the HR side of your absence, your colleagues are the ones directly impacted by your workload. Sending a quick, clear "Handover Email" to your immediate team is a hallmark of a high-level professional.
Why Notify Your Peers?
- Prevents Bottlenecks: Let people know you won't be responding to pings.
- Sets Expectations: Tells them who to go to for urgent approvals.
- Reduces Anxiety: You can rest better knowing your "balls won't be dropped."
Template: Team/Project Handover
Subject: Out of Office: [Your Name] - Sick Leave
Hi Team,
I'm feeling under the weather today and will be taking sick leave to recover. I expect to be back online by [Return Date].
Current Task Status:
- [Project A]: All files are in the shared drive. [Colleague Name] has the latest version.
- [Project B]: On hold until I return.
For anything urgent that cannot wait, please reach out to [Manager/Peer Name]. Otherwise, I'll catch up with everyone when I'm back!
Best, [Your Name]
Communication Best Practice
If your company uses Slack or Microsoft Teams, remember to update your status to 🤒 (Out Sick) and turn off notifications. This reinforces the boundary you've set in your email.