A boss is receiving widespread praise after an email they sent to employees encouraging those who are sick to stay home âstruck a chordâ with thousands of people online.
The email, shared by Melbourne journalist and lecturer Neil McMahon on X, sparked a positive response for its emphasis on health and safety in the workplace.
In the email, McMahonâs boss, Sam Jacob, CEO at Collarts (Australian College of the Arts) reminds employees to prioritize their health by staying home if they are sick, as the prevalence of colds and flus in Melbourne ramps up.
The message had a strong directive to safeguard the health of all staff, particularly those who are immunocompromised or have dependents.
âI want staff who are immunocompromised or vulnerable to infection, including those who have to stay well to access other kinds of treatment or look after dependents, to be able to come to work with a reasonable assumption of safety and wellbeing. That means those who are sick must stay home. Please,â the email reads.
Sam Jacob, CEO at Collarts, an Australian College of the Arts, reminds employees to prioritize their health by staying home if they are sick. X/NeilMcMahon
Speaking to news.com.au, Jacob said they didnât expect the reaction to their email but was pleasantly surprised by the impact it has had.
âI feel like it should be normal. It should be what everybody is saying. Iâm a big fan of great leadership is being a decent human being,â they said.
Jacob believes Australians have good sick leave provisions in place, therefore workers should be encouraged to prioritize their health over the âsoldier onâ mindset.
âEverybodyâs working under this kind of almost moral assumption that work is more important than anything and youâve got to soldier on, and weâre sold chemist products that actually say âweâll help you soldier onâ,â they said.
The tweet, captioned by McMahon on June 5, encouraged this type of approach to be ânormalizedâ by leaders in the workforce.
Many people praised the boss for his considerate email. Sathaporn – stock.adobe.com
It quickly gained traction, being viewed more than a million times and amassing hundreds of positive comments.
âIncredible how in such a short time coming in sick has gone from a sign of being a real trooper to an absolute poor move,â one person commented on the post.
âSounds pretty sensible to me. Donât make others sick, be a responsible human being, donât assume you know the health status of coworkers,â a second person wrote.
âYes, pretty normal in my workplace too. I love it. With the advent of WFH, you donât need to âbrave itâ to come into the office, and yes, I donât want the gastro you picked up from your kids day care, or the throat infection âeven though your on antibiotics,â a third person wrote.
One person commented that while they supported this idea they have an âissueâ with limited sick days.
âOnly issue I have with this is that weâre given limited sickies.â
The Collarts CEO said they understand not everybody has sick leave, but where possible âif we deal with being sick in the momentâ, the recovery time is quicker and ânobody else gets impacted.â
This is the second time Jacob has sent an email to staff within the last six months encouraging them to put health first, work second.
Jacob believes Australians have good sick leave provisions in place, so workers should be encouraged to prioritize their health over the âsoldier onâ mindset. zinkevych – stock.adobe.com
They said the email also opened the door for staff to have conversations about their personal health journey, which as a boss is âhelpfulâ to know in order to support.
âStaff have written back and said, âthis is so good to hear as Iâm one of those people and that I can come to work and feel safeâ rather than them being the ones to stay home because theyâre vulnerableâ,â they said.
âItâs an opportunity for staff to have those conversations with me because otherwise I might not know.
âI think itâs that sense that everybody says they want to have an inclusive workplace, what that means is giving real consideration to who gets to come and be a part of the workforce and who should stay at home.
This comes as a frustrated doctor criticised Australian bosses who demand medical certificates for short absences, stating that he âdidnât become a GPâ to handle paperwork for employers.
Dr Max Mollenkopf, who owns a GP clinic in Newcastle, NSW, said he sees two or three patients every day who donât need treatment but require a medical certificate for work, taking time away from those who are ill.
âIf someone is sick and they want to see me, every day of the week I want them to be able to come in,â Dr Mollenkopf told the ABC.
âI didnât sign up to do medicine to do HR policy on behalf of large corporations.â
However, Carys Chan, a senior lecturer at Griffith University, stated that requiring a medical certificate is crucial for employers to prevent the misuse of sick leave by workers.
âIf theyâre going to be paying their employee for their sick leave, some of the employers will feel the right to know that youâre really sick,â she told the ABC.
Under current workplace laws, employers can ask employees to provide evidence for âas little as one day or less off work.â
âAn employee who doesnât give their employer evidence when asked may not be entitled to be paid for their sick or carerâs leave,â the Fair Work Ombudsman states on their website.
As companies continue to balance productivity with health considerations, this Melbourne bossâs directive serves as an example of how leadership can positively impact workplace culture by prioritising the wellbeing of all staff.
âJust donât take your humanity off at the door, whatever role you have in an organisation, whether youâre the boss or somebody else, be a human being first and start your leadership with being a decent human being,â Jacob said.
