Mar

21

Sick Days as An Independent Consultant

March 21, 2007 |

Today I have a really bad pain in the neck, literally. Every time I move it (anywhere) it hurts terribly. Since my neck (and probably no-one’s else) can be fixed in position without using some kind of restraint, it is hurting frequently and it is becoming unbearable. It is not the first time it happens to me. In other periods of extreme stress I have had the same kind of situation.In some other situations in my life, when I have been an employee, it has happened in the middle of a customer engagement as well. In those situations, I have finished the job as quickly as possible and headed back home or to a hotel to rest. In other situations I was only scheduled to go to the office and I have taken the day off as a sick day due to it. Sick days where available at that time, a nice commodity where you get paid even if you don’t move a finger (in some companies and in some employment arrangements, not all of them).

Motherly advice would probably suggest: “take the day off, your health is more important than money“, especially since they do not want to risk any damage to their precious creation and would rather sustain or financially support their kids than to see them damage themselves. Well, it is good advice, but such absolute terms are difficult to manage. Certainly if I was in a risk of causing myself permanent damage or reducing my life expectancy, there is no money that can buy me off: I would be resting and getting treatment right away.

The reality is that as an independent consultant if you take the day off, you don’t get paid for the day. Worse than that, if you take the day off you may not complete the project on time you risk not getting paid at all for the whole project – just for not achieving the objectives. A pain in the neck could cost thousands of dollars.

Many people dream of independent consulting. This is one of the things they should consider: sick days are not a paid thing, and you take them only when you don’t have too much of a choice.


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