How To Call Out Of Work Text Messages – 20 Templates

How to call out of work can be a tough proposition. I’ve always found texting to be quicker and easier when it comes to contacting my boss especially when it comes to calling out of work.

This article will give 20 concrete how to call out of work text templates you can use to call out of work under various scenarios.

When it comes to requesting time off it’s a lot better if you are on good terms with your boss. If you’ve recently noticed signs your boss is threatened by you then tread lightly when it comes to requesting time off.

On the other hand, if you’ve noticed signs your boss is leaving the company, he might not care if you take a day, or even a week off. If he’s a short-timer he probably won’t care about anything at work other than getting ready his new gig.

There are good excuses to work from home and there are good excuses to miss work on short notice so that you don’t have to work at all. The following list will give you concrete examples that you can use to call out of work through text.

Calling Out of Work Text Messages – 20 Templates

These call out of work text templates are broken up into the following categories: sick, family emergency, bereavement, mental health, home emergency, transportation issues, and miscellaneous.

Sick Leave Text Message Templates

Calling in sick text messages are probably the most common of them all. A call out sick text message to your boss should get right to the point. Here are three sick text message to boss examples that you can use when you need a day or more off.

1. COVID Symptoms

Hi [Boss], I apologize for the late notice, but I have fever and chills that started overnight. I also have a cough and body aches including a headache. The symptoms are similar to what I had last year when I contracted COVID. Hopefully it’s just a 24-hour virus but I’ll let you know how I feel tomorrow. If I’m feeling OK I’ll make sure to take a COVD test before I come back to the office to prevent it from spreading. I’ll get back to you tomorrow but I’ll definitely be out today sick. Thanks.

2. 24-Hour Bug

Good morning [Boss], I’m not feeling well today and won’t be able to come in. I hope it’s just a 24-hour bug. I’ll plan to be back at work tomorrow assuming I’m feeling better. Thanks so much and I’m going to try to sleep some more now as I am exhausted. If you need me for anything please feel free to text me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

3. Food Poisoning

Hi [Boss], this is [Employee Name]. Overnight I woke up with a stomach ache with diarrhea. It may be food poisoning from something I ate at the restaurant last night. I’ll take today to rest up and hopefully can return tomorrow but will keep you updated. If you need anything just text me and I’ll get back to you. I appreciate your understanding.

Family Emergency Text to Boss Templates

It doesn’t really matter if you are married or not but, if you have a family, you just might have a family emergency to tend to. I’ve been there many times with my parents and children over the years. Here are some solid family emergency text to boss templates you can use.

4. Sick Daughter

Good morning [Boss], I need to stay home today due to a family emergency. My daughter woke up very sick and needs to go to the doctor. I’ll keep you updated on the situation and when I can return to work. I’ll have to stay at home until she’s feeling better but I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for your understanding.

5. Parent to Hospital

Hi [Boss], Unfortunately I can’t make it in to work today. My [father/mother] collapsed and was rushed to the hospital early this morning and I need to be with [him/her] at the hospital. We’re not sure exactly what caused [him/her] to black out but I will let you know as soon as I have an update on the situation. Please text me if you need anything as I should be available via my phone all day.

6. Generic Family Emergency

Good morning [Boss], There’s been an emergency situation this morning that requires me to be with my family. I can fill you in on the details when I see you but I’ll need to take today off. Hopefully I’ll be back at work tomorrow but that remains to be seen. I’ll be sure to keep you informed if anything changes. Thank you so much for understanding.

Bereavement Text Message to Boss Templates

When a family member passes away or someone very close to you, missing work for at least a day is customary. Your company usually has protocols in place for the amount of days you can take for an immediate family member. You may need clarification for an extended family member or a close friend.

You should consult with the company handbook or a human resources representative for specific details if you need to take time off for bereavement. Here are two text message examples – one for an immediate family member and one for a close friend.

7. Immediate Family Member (Multiple Days Off)

Good morning [Boss], I’m sad to let you know that my [immediate family member] passed away last night. I need to take the rest of the week off to be with my family and make arrangements. I’ll check with Human Resources on how many days are allowable for bereavement for an immediate family member. I appreciate your understanding during this difficult time. I’ll be in touch with you when arrangements have been finalized.

8. Close Friend (One Day Off)

Hi [Boss], I wanted to let you know that my close friend [Friend’s Name] passed away unexpectedly a few days ago. I just found out about it last night from a friend. The funeral is this morning and there is a luncheon scheduled for after the funeral. I would like to take the day off to pay my respects to the family as we were inseparable growing up. I appreciate your understanding and, if it’s a problem for me to take the day off, please let me know.

Home Emergency Text Templates

A home emergency can also mean an issue with an apartment or a condominium. Regardless of where you live, sometimes things happen that need to be addressed related to your residence. Here are three examples of call out of work texts you can send to your boss if you have a home emergency.

9. House

Hi [Boss], I’m sorry for the late notice, but I have to take today off due to a home emergency. We lost power overnight and with freezing temps expected, I need to stay home and get my generator going and pick up some more gas in case we are out of power for a while. It appears that the whole neighborhood is out of power due to a transformer that blew fairly close to my house. I’ll need to take the day off. Hopefully the power will be back before tomorrow but I’ll keep you posted.

10. Apartment

Good morning [Boss], I won’t make it into the office today. The fire alarm in my apartment building went off early this morning due to a small kitchen fire on another floor below me. There is significant smoke damage to my unit that needs cleaning. I have to make a call into my insurance company to set up an appointment to have a company like SERVPRO come by to clean up the smoke damage. In the meantime, I’m going to clean up what I can do on my own. I’ll keep you updated on when I can return to work.

11. Condo

Hi [Boss], I have a bit of an emergency and need to take the day off. A pipe burst in our condo early this morning causing significant water damage. I need be here to handle the insurance adjuster’s visit and meet contractors for repair estimates. I apologize for missing work on such short notice. I will plan to be back at the office tomorrow should all go as planned. Thanks for understanding.

Mental Health Issues Text Templates

Mental health is nothing to take lightly and companies are very lenient these days when it comes to these issues. Sometimes we all need time to ourselves to recharge and heal mentally. Here are two examples of mental health text messages you can use to ask for time off. One text request is for a day off and the other is for multiple days off.

12. Single Day Off Text Request

Hello [Boss], I’m not going to be able to make it into work today. I’m struggling with some anxiety issues and need to take the day off to focus on my mental health. I plan to be back at work tomorrow. Please let me know if you need anything urgent from me today that I can handle remotely but I’m really hoping to detach from any work issues today. I appreciate your understanding.

13. Multiple Days Off Text Request

Good morning [Boss], I need to request the rest of this week off to address some mental health struggles I’ve been experiencing recently. The stress has been difficult to manage and I could really benefit from some time away to focus on self-care and to reset. I can work remotely if anything particularly urgent comes up but I’m hoping to rest my mind from work-related matters. Please let me know if I need to follow up with any additional information on my return date. If needed, I can speak to [Human Resources Representative] about my situation. I appreciate your support in this matter.

Transportation Issues Text Templates

Unless you are a remote worker and able to bask in the many work from home benefits, you need to get up and out of the house to go to work each day. Sometimes we run into problems with the mode of transportation that we use to get to work.

Here are 3 different examples of call out of work text messages based on three different modes of transport – car, bus, and train.

14. Car

Good morning [Boss], My car won’t start this morning and needs to go into the shop for repairs. Unfortunately, my mechanic said there are no rental cars available at the shop today either. I have no way of getting into work and will need to take the day off. The good news is my mechanic has availability to work on my car and it should be fixed by the end of the day today. I should be back at work tomorrow. Thanks for understanding.

15. Bus

Hi [Boss], Good morning. The local bus drivers have gone on strike today so there is no public transportation running in the city. I have no way to get to the office without the buses. I’ll need to take today off and try to arrange another way to get to work going forward until the strike is resolved. I’ll keep you posted on the status. I appreciate your patience and understanding.

16. Train

Good morning [Boss], Unfortunately my morning train was delayed over 2 hours due to mechanical problems. By the time I can get into the office it will be the afternoon so it doesn’t even make sense to even come into work today. So I won’t be in today but will be there first thing tomorrow morning assuming there will be no delays. I apologize for the late notice and appreciate you for understanding.

Miscellaneous Call out of Work Text Message Templates

Sometimes there are simply other issues that come up where you need to call out of work. Here are a few examples.

17. Flight Cancelled

Good morning [Boss], it just so happens that our vacation ended with a problem. Due to weather issues in the middle of the country our connecting flight was cancelled. As a result we were given a free night at a hotel near the airport and will have to fly home tomorrow. So I won’t be able to make it into the office today. Thanks for your patience but I had no control over the weather and flights.

18. Daycare Closed Last Minute

Good day [Boss], I got a call early this morning from my daughter’s daycare facility. They had to close the doors today due to maintenance issues with the heat in the building. They have put in an emergency request with their HVAC company to fix the boiler. So I will be staying home with my daughter today. If you need me to meet with you virtually please let me know. Thanks for your understanding.

19. Close Friend Needs Help

Good morning [Boss], I got a call from a my close friend [Friend’s Name] last night and he is struggling emotionally. He really has no one to talk to about it. He recently went through a divorce and is trying to cope with the reality of his situation. I’d like to take the day off today and spend some time with him to get him into a better frame of mind and help him find a therapist. Thanks for understanding and I’ll see you tomorrow.

20. Bad Weather

Hi [Boss], I’m a little concerned with the weather today, especially the high winds. We are surrounded by trees and I don’t feel comfortable leaving my wife with the potential of a tree coming down during the storm. Last winter we had a tree hit our house during one of the bad storms. So, I’m going to stay put and ride out the storm. I’m sure you understand and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Tips on How to Call Out of Work using Text Messages

Be Honest

Honesty is always the most important thing if you are calling out of work for the day or more. If you aren’t sick with symptoms but just need a day or two off just be honest and your boss should understand. We all need to refresh our minds every now and then.

Get to the Point

Brevity is key when it comes to calling out of work with text. Don’t say anything more than needs to be said. Minimize your message and your boss will actually appreciate it more than a long, arduous text message.

Follow-up Later in the Day

If you don’t hear back from your boss, make it a point to send a follow-up text later in the day. You want to be sure he received it. If you don’t hear from that text, call him and leave a message.

Even if you do hear back from your boss in the morning it cannot hurt to text him later in the day giving him an update on your status.

Give an Option to Remotely Work if Urgent

If you can work from home, let your boss know if you are feeling up to it, you can do some work remotely especially if it’s urgent. The best option for you is to not work at all but your boss will appreciate the offer of working remotely. Hopefully he’ll respect your request for the day off and won’t ask you to work.

How To Call Out Of Work Text Templates – A Recap

Calling out of work using text is an efficient way to get your point across when communicating with your boss. It’s a lot easier than having to speak to your boss on the phone and is comparable to an email message.

There are many different reasons to call off work and hopefully the call out of work text message templates identified in this article should help you with the various options when you need to stay at home for a day or more.

We all need a day off or two every now and again now don’t we?

What to Read Next:

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