Boss’s email encourages health first, work second

A Melbourne journalist boss’s message to staff has gone viral, igniting a wave of support for something so simple.

A boss is receiving widespread praise after an email they sent to employees encouraging those who are sick to stay home “struck a chord” with thousands of people online.

The email, shared by Melbourne journalist and lecturer Neil McMahon on X, sparked a positive response for its emphasis on health and safety in the workplace.

In the email, McMahon’s boss, Sam Jacob, CEO at Collarts (Australian College of the Arts) reminds employees to prioritise their health by staying home if they are sick, as the prevalence of colds and flus in Melbourne ramps up.

The message had a strong directive to safeguard the health of all staff, particularly those who are immunocompromised or have dependants.

“I want staff who are immunocompromised or vulnerable to infection, including those who have to stay well to access other kinds of treatment or look after dependants, to be able to come to work with a reasonable assumption of safety and wellbeing. That means those who are sick must stay home. Please,” the email reads.

Speaking to news.com.au, Jacob said they didn’t expect the reaction to their email but was pleasantly surprised by the impact it has had.

“I feel like it should be normal. It should be what everybody is saying. I’m a big fan of great leadership is being a decent human being,” they said.

A recent tweet by Neil McMahon, showcasing an empathetic email from his boss, has gone viral, drawing widespread praise for its compassionate and sensible approach to employee health. Picture: Supplied.

Jacob believes Australians have good sick leave provisions in place, therefore workers should be encouraged to prioritise their health over the “soldier on” mindset.

“Everybody’s working under this kind of almost moral assumption that work is more important than anything and you’ve got to soldier on, and we’re sold chemist products that actually say ‘we’ll help you soldier on’,” they said.

The tweet, captioned by McMahon on June 5, encouraged this type of approach to be “normalised” by leaders in the workforce. It quickly gained traction, being viewed more than a million times and amassing hundreds of positive comments.

“Incredible how in such a short time coming in sick has gone from a sign of being a real trooper to an absolute poor move,” one person commented on the post.

“Sounds pretty sensible to me. Don’t make others sick, be a responsible human being, don’t assume you know the health status of coworkers,” a second person wrote.

“Yes, pretty normal in my workplace too. I love it. With the advent of WFH, you don’t need to “brave it” to come into the office, and yes, I don’t want the gastro you picked up from your kids day care, or the throat infection ‘even though your on antibiotics,’ a third person wrote.

One person commented that while they supported this idea they have an “issue” with limited sick days.

“Only issue I have with this is that we’re given limited sickies.”

The Collarts CEO said they understand not everybody has sick leave, but where possible “if we deal with being sick in the moment”, the recovery time is quicker and “nobody else gets impacted”.

Doctors are warning Medicare is on life support after a fresh poll suggested one fifth of Australians have reported their GP has stopped bulk-billing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Valeriu Campan

This is the second time Jacob has sent an email to staff within the last six months encouraging them to put health first, work second. They said the email also opened the door for staff to have conversations about their personal health journey, which as a boss is “helpful” to know in order to support.

“Staff have written back and said, ‘this is so good to hear as I’m one of those people and that I can come to work and feel safe” rather than them being the ones to stay home because they’re vulnerable’,” they said.

“It’s an opportunity for staff to have those conversations with me because otherwise I might not know.

“I think it’s that sense that everybody says they want to have an inclusive workplace, what that means is giving real consideration to who gets to come and be a part of the workforce and who should stay at home.

This comes as a frustrated doctor criticised Australian bosses who demand medical certificates for short absences, stating that he “didn’t become a GP” to handle paperwork for employers.

Dr Max Mollenkopf, who owns a GP clinic in Newcastle, NSW, said he sees two or three patients every day who don’t need treatment but require a medical certificate for work, taking time away from those who are ill.

“If someone is sick and they want to see me, every day of the week I want them to be able to come in,” Dr Mollenkopf told the ABC.

“I didn’t sign up to do medicine to do HR policy on behalf of large corporations.”

However, Carys Chan, a senior lecturer at Griffith University, stated that requiring a medical certificate is crucial for employers to prevent the misuse of sick leave by workers.

People are still wearing masks in Melbourne CBD as doctors plead with Victorians to start wearing masks again with cases of the flu and Covid continuing to rise ahead of winter. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

“If they’re going to be paying their employee for their sick leave, some of the employers will feel the right to know that you’re really sick,” she told the ABC.

Under current workplace laws, employers can ask employees to provide evidence for “as little as one day or less off work”.

“An employee who doesn’t give their employer evidence when asked may not be entitled to be paid for their sick or carer’s leave,” the Fair Work Ombudsman states on their website.

As companies continue to balance productivity with health considerations, this Melbourne boss’s directive serves as an example of how leadership can positively impact workplace culture by prioritising the wellbeing of all staff.

“Just don’t take your humanity off at the door, whatever role you have in an organisation, whether you’re the boss or somebody else, be a human being first and start your leadership with being a decent human being,” Jacob said.

Originally published as Boss’s email encourages health first, work second