I recently heard someone use the term, “call out sick,” meaning to call your employer to say you’re not coming to work because you are ill. I have never heard the phrasing “call out sick.” I’m used to hearing and saying, “call in sick.” I found this Grammar Girl article and it appears that this is a reginal saying. This map shows where the wording is common. And some people say, “call off sick,” which I have never heard either.
red=call in sick
yellow=call out sick
green=call off sick
blue=mixed
The article also mentioned that some people noted working for different companies in the same city, and “call in sick” was said at one company and “call out sick” was said at another company, which could be the result of corporate culture or traditions affecting reginal differences.
Jackie Solano | Technical Editor | Symitar®
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