Greet them and say you’re not feeling well. “Hey Jim. I woke up this morning feeling really under the weather.” “Hi Helen. I’ve been feeling a cold coming on for a couple days, but I woke up today feeling really bad.” Ask if you can take a sick day. “Is it OK if I take a sick day to try and get over this?” “I’m thinking of taking a sick day, if that’s OK. I don’t want to get anyone else sick.” Apologize for any inconvenience. “I know this is inconvenient with how busy we’ve been lately, and I’m sorry about that.” “I think it’s best to be safe and stay home for the day, but I wanna apologize if this makes it rougher for you today.” Answer any of their questions. “It feels like a stomach bug. I’m hoping it’s just one of those 24 hour things.” “I have a lot of sinus pressure, and my nose is all clogged up. Hopefully if I take it easy it’ll improve by tomorrow.” Thank them and say goodbye on a positive note. “Thanks for understanding, Brian. I really appreciate it!” “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks again for your flexibility.”