She’s doing the im-boss-ible.
One woman is revealing template messages that you can send to your boss when you’re sick — or in other sticky scenarios at work — with some calling it “perfect” and others claiming that the text sounds like it was written by an “AI bot.”
Hannah MacDonald, from Toronto, goes by the username @hannahkmacd1 on TikTok, where she shares insight about everything having to do with working and being employed. A sales and marketing manager herself, MacDonald’s family owns an employment agency, so she’s always been focused on helping people navigate their work life.
Her 7-second sick day clip has already reached more than 2 million views.
“Hey boss, I appreciate your continual concern,” MacDonald’s suggested message for taking a sick day read. “I am sick today and will not be able to work. I will keep you updated as the day comes to an end on my intentions for tomorrow.”
Some of MacDonald’s other videos include what to text to your former boss when you want to return to your old job, what to tell them if you’re sick but don’t have COVID-19, and what to say when you simply want to quit.
MacDonald told The Post that a stigma exists even for those who are calling in truly sick — hence some employees’ tendency to feel guilty about it.
“I think that a lot of people spend some time in jobs where it is really hard to call in sick. Whether it’s retail on Black Friday or a grocery store before Christmas or just a restaurant on a Friday night, it puts your manager in a harder spot — and the rest of your coworkers,” she said. “There is a sense of letting people down that ties to calling out sick.”
She suggested that it’s important to feel supported by your coworkers — from the boss on down — and proper messaging can help.
“In reality, it’s your team’s responsibility to stand beside you and say, ‘Get better and come back rested, ready to give 100% we got your back!’ — not, “OK, but are you really sick?”
MacDonald told The Post that she always had a knack for sending out these types of messages.
“I have always grown up as the kid who would steal my best friend’s phone and be like, ‘Just let me type the message, and I’ll let you hit send,’” MacDonald said.
“I’ve always loved writing, whether it’s, say, ‘I’m breaking up with you’ text messages for my best friends or a job application for someone else … it honestly came very naturally to me,” she added.
MacDonald explained that this particular sick day video came to be after she was unwell a couple of weeks ago. Since she started working at age 14, she’s dealt with a number of bosses — some of whom are amazing and some horrible, she said.
“I would say specifically around calling out for work, bosses in part-time jobs are really challenging to deal with,” MacDonald explained. “I definitely had a couple of those negative experiences that got me to push that, OK, well, I’ll hit post because maybe someone, somewhere, could use this.”
MacDonald told The Post that she’s gotten a lot of positive feedback on her videos and hopes to offer people an understanding of how they can be in a job that they love and do it without being scared.
For some TikTok users, her tips are apparently working.
“This is what I do now and I’ve gotten more respectful responses doing it this way,” one person commented on her video.
“As a boss, I totally approve of this message 😁,” one woman wrote in the comments section.
Another agreed, writing, “This is literally perfect. As a boss, please do not send me some long a– story. Keep it simple and I’m less annoyed.”
“I need more of these,” someone else begged.
However, some viewers weren’t buying her advice, sparking a debate in the comments section.
“My boss would ask me why I’m talking like that,” one viewer claimed.
Another seconded, writing, “If I said that to my manager he would NOT believe it was me 😭.”
“This sounds like something an AI bot wrote,” one TikToker joked.
But that doesn’t bother MacDonald; she knows that naysayers are par for the course.
While she said that “negativity isn’t ideal,” she sees it as a potential path forward.
“As someone who wants to be a creator, you are always going to be putting yourself on display and occasionally you will have negativity pop up. That’s inevitable,” said MacDonald, who reiterated that her own words are a template and not necessarily the exact vocabulary to use. “But I can appreciate the negative comments as much as the positive ones because at the end of the day, whether they offer me room to learn and grow or they offer the algorithm what it needs to be pushed further and into the hands of people who need it … that’s my goal. Offering tools for those that need it.”
Currently, MacDonald said she is starting her own business in the US that aligns with her family’s in Canada, and she plans to create more TikTok videos about all things having to do with working in the corporate world. She is also working on writing a book about the subject matter.
“My goal is really just to help people understand that the working world is not nearly as scary as it needs to be,” MacDonald said.