Yes. While FMLA does protect sick employees, you still must call your employer and follow any call-in procedure your employer has established. However, if your illness is sudden and prevents you from calling your employer immediately, then you may not need call in immediately, so long as you DO call in as soon as reasonably possible. If you fail to do so, you will not be given FMLA's protection.
How can I avoid getting sick at work? How can I prevent giving co-workers my cold?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC"), the best option to avoid the flu is to get the flu shot, and the best way to avoid other infectious diseases is to get the corresponding vaccination. For other contagious illnesses do the following:
For more information about stopping the spread of germs at work, refer to the CDC website.
Can my employer force me to stay home from work if I, or one of my family members, contracts an infectious disease?
Yes, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employer may force an employee to stay home if the employer believes that the employee will pose a direct threat to the workplace due to having or being exposed to, a serious infectious disease. This includes employees that are still willing and able to work. Many diseases are very infectious. For example, the Measles virus can be caught if you enter a room where an infected individual was located thirty minutes ago. Sometimes the best way an employer can prevent the threat of exposure to all employees is to require one employee to stay home from work.
"You can’t take care of yourself if you are the go-to for everyone else...it can feel good in the moment to be a colleague’s go-to for a work request, but it can create an inescapable loop because when the moment passes. By overloading yourself with other people’s work requests to feel valuable you are creating a situation where you can’t care for yourself anymore. You may come to work sick or turn down much-needed vacations. Recovery is key to career success.You’re investing in your future self, you’re investing in your energy, you need that recovery time to recharge your batteries. "
–Lisa Orbé-Austin; licensed psychologist
from Robert Half