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As of 13 August 2026, AI can write your sick-day message.
Most people should do this themselves; the prompt is on this page.
Can you do it?
2 minutesto a draft.
5 minutesto something you’d act on.
Cost, all in£0
Skill needednone
Who has to check ityou
What the alternative costsGrammarly is an AI writing assistant for grammar, tone and rewrites, but a paid alternative is unnecessary for one short message.
If this goes wrong: the message uses the wrong channel or omits a required detail, and you correct it with your manager or employer.
What to actually do
Do it yourself
The route this page recommends
A chat interface, no skill needed, and roughly 5 minutes until you can act on the result.
How to actually do it
- Open your employer's sickness or absence policy and check who you must contact, which channel to use and when you must report being off sick.
- Gather the factual details for the message: the contact's name, the day you are off, when you expect to return or update them, and any essential handover information.
- Paste the prompt into a chatbot and replace every bracketed slot with your own facts, leaving out medical details you do not need to share.
- Compare both drafts with your employer's policy and your own diary, then remove any invented details or promises you cannot keep.
- Send the checked message through the required channel and keep a copy of what you sent.
- If your symptoms are urgent or worrying, contact NHS 111 through NHS 111 online or by calling 111 rather than asking the chatbot for medical advice.
Prompt
Write a short message to my manager saying that I am off sick today. Use only these facts and do not invent anything: I am notifying [manager or workplace contact] through [email, text or workplace app]; I am unable to work on [date or day]; I expect to [return on date or provide an update on date]; [include any work handover detail, or say none]. Keep the tone polite, direct and professional. Do not ask me to disclose my diagnosis, include unnecessary medical details, or make claims about sick pay, fit notes or company policy. Give me one ready-to-send version and one slightly warmer version.
Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.
Use a tool built for this
Second choiceHand it to a person
The distant thirdA person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.
What it gets wrong
- AI cannot know your employer's absence policy or reporting arrangements unless you provide them.
- AI cannot decide how much health information you should disclose to your manager.
- AI cannot confirm whether you are medically fit to work or when you will recover.
- AI cannot take responsibility for sending the message through the correct workplace channel.
- A generic draft may sound unlike you or miss an existing conversation with your manager.
Even on a YES, the friction has a name: consent and privacy and context depth.
How we scored this
Five axes, each scored nought to two by hand: ten means AI carries the task cleanly, and the thresholds that turn a total into YES, PARTLY or NO are published in the methodology. Each axis name links to its definition.
| Axis | Score (0–2) |
|---|---|
| Output | 2 |
| Inputs | 2 |
| Verification | 2 |
| Liability | 2 |
| Effort delta | 2 |
| Total | 10 / 10 |
The methodology and its thresholds are published in full.
FAQ
- Can AI write a sick day message?
- Yes. Give it the contact, the day you are off and any required update or handover detail, then check the result against your employer's policy before sending.
- What should I say when I call in sick to work?
- Say that you are unable to work, state which day or shift this affects, and give the date when you will return or update your employer if you know it. Follow your workplace policy and do not include a diagnosis unless your employer's process specifically requires relevant information.
- Do I need to tell my employer what is wrong?
- Not usually in the initial message, but your employer's policy may set out what information or evidence it needs. Check that policy before sharing health details, and do not paste sensitive medical information into a chatbot unless you have a clear reason to do so.
- Can AI tell me whether I am too ill to work?
- No. AI should not assess your medical condition or decide your fitness for work; if your symptoms are urgent or worrying, contact NHS 111 through NHS 111 online or by calling 111.
Nearby answers
Assessed by gpt-5.6-luna (gpt-5.6-luna) on 2026-08-13, second-checked by an independent model. Wrong somewhere? Email [email protected] and it gets re-checked.
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