'Take sick leaves before you fall sick': Unused office leave could be a career mistake affecting your salary, corporate advisor reveals why

For many office going employees, taking a day off from work is something they postpone until they feel genuinely unwell. But a corporate career advisor has urged workers to rethink that approach by stating that if you are exhausted or burnt out, waiting until you actually fall sick before using sick leave may be the wrong way to treat your time off.

Avreen, who shares corporate career advice on Instagram, said in an Instagram post earlier this year that employees should not hesitate to use paid leave that is available to them. She went on further and even compared unused paid leave to leaving behind part of one's salary.

“If you are not taking paid leave, then you are the biggest... Are you mad?” Avreen said in the Instagram video. She added that paid leave is “equivalent to salary” and argued that employees who do not use it are effectively “leaving your salary on the table.”

Don't wait until you are actually sick

According to Avreen, one of the biggest mistakes employees make is saving sick leave specifically for a point when they become physically ill.

“And the biggest mistake is that you keep waiting that when I fall sick, I will use sick leave. It doesn't happen like that,” she said.

Instead, she suggested taking time off from office when exhaustion or burnout begins to set in. Her message was simple that employees do not necessarily need to wait until they are bedridden before deciding they need a break.

“When you are feeling tired, burnt out, then only take leave,” she said.

She also encouraged workers to use the time in whatever way helps them recover. “Take sick leave, use it, chill it, sit at home and sleep. If you want to go out, go out. Don't wait to fall sick,” Avreen said.

Employees comment about leaves

The Instagram post led to several coments from workers sharing their own experiences with paid and sick leave.

One commenter said that he had taken a half-day before developing a fever, only to actually fall sick later. Another person identifying themselves as a team leader agreed with Avreen's point.

An HR professional also backed this by saying employees should use their leaves rather than assuming that avoiding them will automatically improve their chances of promotion.

“I’m an HR I’m telling you to take your leaves,” the commenter wrote, adding that not taking leave is not the achievement some employees believe it is.

Other comments showed that the issue is not simply about whether employees want to take leave. Some workers said their companies make it difficult to get leave approved, while others said they were required to provide a prescription or medical certificate even for a single day of sick leave.

One person claimed that his sick leave was made unpaid depending on managerial approval. Another said that he was asked to work during his week off after taking medical leave.

There were also plenty of workers who said they deliberately save their leaves for future plans or emergencies.

Avreen's main argument was that workers should not wait for illness to become severe before taking a break. “Aisa bimaar padoge, sick leave kam pad jayegi. (You’ll fall so ill that your sick leave won’t be enough),” she concluded the video.