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THE QUESTION
A coworker on my team frequently calls in sick, often requiring long absences for illness recovery. Sometimes it’s just a few days and once it was nine days in a row. It leaves the rest of us to carry a much heavier workload within our department. We are already spread so thin and managers never provide additional support when this person is off sick. We are just meant to be team players and cover for the person who is often away. I sympathize with the time off they need when they’re sick. But what’s the best way to approach the management team about providing more support when our team is short-staffed?
THE FIRST ANSWER
Bill Howatt, founder and chief mental health officer, Howatt HR Consulting Inc., Halifax and Ottawa
When a coworker is frequently off sick, it can quietly put a real strain on the rest of the team, especially when workloads are already stretched. It’s possible to feel empathy for someone managing health issues and, at the same time, feel concerned about fairness and sustainability.
One effective way to raise this with management is to focus on workload and capacity, not the individual. Avoid framing the issue around one person’s absences. Instead, describe what consistently happens when the team is short‑staffed: work being delayed, quality slipping, longer hours, rising stress or increased risk of burnout.
Before the conversation, note a few concrete examples. For instance, how often tasks are being redistributed, whether deadlines are being missed or whether team members are regularly working beyond reasonable limits. This keeps the discussion factual and professional.
When you speak with managers, try language such as: “When our team is down a person for several days, the workload becomes unsustainable. What options are available to provide temporary support or adjust priorities during longer absences?”
This signals that you’re looking for solutions, not assigning blame. It’s reasonable to expect leaders to plan for recurring staffing gaps, regardless of the cause. Asking for backup support, temporary coverage or clearer prioritization isn’t a lack of teamwork; it’s a responsible step to protect the health and performance of the entire team, including the colleague who needs time to recover.
THE SECOND ANSWER
Jenny Chen, chief executive officer and founder, Catalais Consulting Ltd., Ottawa
I’ve lived this from a few sides. As a manager supporting employees through repeated absences, as someone managing chronic illness and as a caregiver for a spouse quietly fighting one.
It’s uncomfortable for everyone.
The real issue is rarely whether someone is “actually sick.” It’s whether the team is designed to absorb absence without breaking. If your team can’t withstand one person being out sick, you don’t have an attendance problem. You have a design problem.
Managers often cannot share personal details. Confidentiality protects employees, even when it creates silence. Silence does not mean leadership is indifferent.
Instead of questioning the person, shift the focus to the system.
Approach leadership with facts, not frustration. Document the measurable impact on workflow, redistributed hours and morale. Be clear about how many additional hours are being absorbed and what that pressure is costing the team. Ask what contingency plan exists for repeated or extended absences. If sustained coverage requires unpaid overtime or quiet burnout, that is a structural issue that deserves attention.
No one benefits from resentment toward someone who may genuinely be unwell. But no team should be expected to carry unsustainable workloads without acknowledgment or support.
Illness is human. Burnout from poor planning is preventable.
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