How to write a sick day email (examples)

Not feeling well and staring at a blank email? Here’s a simple checklist and a few examples you can copy, plus a tool that will generate a clean sick day email for you in seconds.

What your sick day email should do (in one paragraph)

A good sick day email does four things: it tells your manager you’re unwell, says when you’ll be out, sets expectations about whether you’ll work at all, and reassures them that your work is covered as much as possible. It doesn’t need medical details or a long story — short and clear is better.

When should you email vs call in sick?

Check your company policy first if you have one. In a lot of workplaces, a quick email or message is enough. In others (especially small teams or customer‑facing roles), your manager may want a call or a message before your shift starts.

Email is usually fine for office jobs, remote work, or when your manager prefers written updates.
Call or text as well if your absence will directly impact customers, a live shift, or a critical meeting.
Do it early – ideally before your normal start time or as soon as you realise you can’t work.

What to include in a sick day email

Think of your message as answering these questions in a few sentences:

Who are you, and who is the email for?
Are you sick and unable to work, or just working from home?
Which day(s) are you out?
Will you be reachable at all (email / chat)?
What’s happening with urgent tasks or meetings?

You don’t need to share your diagnosis. It’s normally enough to say “I’m unwell” or “I’m not feeling well today”.

Simple sick day email template you can adapt

Here’s a straightforward template that works in most professional settings:

Dear [Manager name], I’m not feeling well and won’t be able to work [today / on DATE / today and tomorrow]. I’ll [be offline and focusing on resting / check email occasionally for urgent items / work from home as I’m able] and will keep you posted if anything changes. [Optional: I’ve handed off X to Y, and Z meeting is already covered.] Thank you, [Your name]

You can plug your details into the Sick Day Email Generator, choose the tone you want, and get a finished version you can paste straight into Outlook or Gmail.

Examples for different tones

1. Standard professional sick day email

Subject: Sick day – Alex Johnson Hi Taylor, I wanted to let you know that I’m not feeling well and won’t be able to work today. I’ll be offline and focusing on resting so I can recover as quickly as possible. I’ve updated my tasks and flagged anything time‑sensitive for the team. I’ll keep you posted and plan to be back tomorrow if I’m feeling better. Thank you, Alex

2. Slightly more formal version

Subject: Sick leave – Alex Johnson Dear Taylor, I’m writing to let you know that I’m unwell and will not be able to work today. I’ll be offline so I can rest and recover. My current priorities are up to date, and I’ve notified the relevant teammates about anything that may need attention while I’m out. I will keep you informed if my situation changes. Best regards, Alex Johnson

3. Casual email for a friendly manager or small team

Subject: Out sick today Hey Taylor, Just a quick note to say I’m feeling sick and won’t be working today. I’ve dropped a note in the team channel and moved anything urgent to tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye on email in case something critical comes up, but otherwise I’ll be resting. Thanks, Alex

You can mirror any of these styles by picking “standard”, “formal”, or “slightly casual” inside the Sick Day Email Generator.

How much should you say about your illness?

In most cases you don’t need to go into detail. Something like “I’m not feeling well” or “I’m sick and need to take the day off” is enough. You usually only need more detail if your workplace policy or local law requires it, or if you’ll be out for an extended period and HR needs documentation.

Keep it general for short‑term illnesses (stomach bug, cold, migraine).
Add more info only if you’re comfortable and it’s required by policy.
Talk to HR about longer‑term or recurring health issues rather than explaining everything over email.

How to mention working from home when you’re sick

Sometimes you’re sick enough that going into an office is a bad idea, but you can still do light work from home. In that case, say clearly what you’re planning:

“I’ll be working from home as I’m able and will stay reachable by email and chat.”
“I’ll check email occasionally for urgent items, but my responses may be slower than usual.”
“I’m taking a full sick day and won’t be working today.”

The sick day generator lets you choose between being fully off, checking email lightly, or working from home so your message matches your situation.

Covering your work while you’re out

Even a single sick day is smoother if you give a quick signal about your tasks. Your email doesn’t need a full project plan, but one sentence helps:

“I’ve handed today’s 2pm client call to Jamie and updated the notes.”
“There’s nothing urgent due today; I’ll pick things up when I’m back.”
“I’ve flagged today’s deadlines in the project board so the team can see the status.”

Use the Sick Day Email Generator to skip the writing

If you don’t want to think about phrasing at all, plug your details into the generator and let it assemble a message for you:

Open the Sick Day Email Generator.
Enter your name, your manager’s name, and when you’re out.
Choose the tone (standard, formal, or slightly casual) and whether you’re working at all.
Add any quick context (like a hand‑off) if you want.
Click “Generate email”, then copy‑paste the result into your email or chat app.

The tool runs entirely in your browser — no account, no data stored. It’s just there to save you a bit of brainpower on a day you don’t feel great.

How to write a sick day email to your boss (with examples)