How To Tell Your Boss You’re Striking On Wednesday
The idea behind the day without women is amazing. But IRL, it can get kind of tricky.
You’re probably wondering if you can just dip out from work and call it a day without anyone questioning you, and unfortunately you probably can’t. You could call in sick, but depending on your employer, that might not be very chill. Plus, it’s not really the point.
Or, even if it is chill for you to call in sick, you may be worried that they’ll see pics of you out striking, or out in general.
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So what’s the proper way to tell your boss that you will be skipping work in solidarity for the feminist movement without sounding like you’re just looking for an excuse to Netflix and chill all day?
We’re glad you asked.
Talk To Your Co-Workers First
Talk to your female co-workers and see if any of them are planning on participating in the strike. If they are, they might be in the same predicament as you. Or, even better, they’ve already asked their boss and gotten the green light. If they’re in the same boat as you, you could try approaching your boss as a team. There are strength in numbers, and the pressure of multiple employees could sway your boss in the right direction.
Let Them Know ASAP
The sooner you can let your employer know about your absence, the better. It’s not a good look if you had important meetings or deadlines that day that you’re just saying “sayonara” to because you’re striking. While your employer can’t fire you explicitly for attending a strike, they can fire you for another reason, such as missing an important workshop or being an unreliable employee. And in some states, they don’t technically have to give a reason, so maybe judge your boss based on how much of a dick he or she is?
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Make It About Work
Laws state that if the protest that you’re participating in pertains to employee rights as workers, then your employer can’t penalize you. In the case of the women’s strike, it’s not solely about employees, but it can be. After all, one of the biggest things the feminist movement works against is the gender wage gap, and you don’t have to look far to find plenty of other issues that women are facing in the workplace.
Don’t Lie About It
While certain laws can protect you as an employee in your decision to protest, they don’t protect you as a liar. Don’t pull a Karen and say you’re sick, just be straight-up. What’s your employer going to say? “I’m misogynistic and if you strike I’ll replace you with a dude”? Okay, well, maybe, but then you should want to find a new job anyway, right? Or you could sue!
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Send Them This Letter
Because the women behind the movement are so proactive and genius, they’ve already made a template letter for you to send to your boss requesting the day off. If they say no, they are going to look like a sexist asshole, and who wants that?
Participate In Other Ways
If for some reason you can’t miss work, don’t feel like you can’t participate at all. It’s likely that your 9-5 job isn’t the only work you put in on a daily basis. Sady Doyle explained for Elle that in early eras, women’s strikes “meant no food on the table, no mysteriously emptied trashcans, no one to change diapers or type letters…no sex…Forcing men to handle ‘women’s work’ was the only way to get those men to admit that it existed.”
Obviously, the fewer women that go to work, the more effective this strike will be. But it’s also not right for other women to shame you for not participating if you can’t. If you haven’t talked to your boss yet, definitely get on it ASAP! This has potential to be even bigger than The Women’s March.
