When you suddenly find yourself in a position where you’re unable to work – for whatever reason – it’s easy for dread to set in. You’re not sure what you’re going to do next. You have no idea how you’re going to make rent or the mortgage payment this month.
And you haven’t even begun to consider how you’re going to keep food on the table. Keeping the roof over your head is most people’s first priority. Trips to the grocery store always fall second to that, despite the fact that it is another recurring variable cost.
As such, there’s a lot to wade through right now, and all without the security of a job on your back. When you have a lack of renewable income, the idea you’ve got to make what’s left in the bank work is a very scary one.
But before this kind of panic mounts to an uncontrollable frenzy, we urge you to read through the list below. There are ways to bring yourself back down to earth at a time like this. You can stay calm, make a few plans, and work out how you’re going to keep the lights on.
It’s not going to be an easy thing to face, but we’re here to help.
Investigate Your Workplace Sick Pay Policy
If you’re traditionally employed and have a contract that entitles you to sick pay, look into this now. Read it through in its entirety and get to grips with what you can claim and for how long.
Depending on how long you’ve worked for your employer, this sick pay entitlement might even scale too. The longer you work there, the more sick pay you get AND the longer you can take it for. A lot of companies work off of this formula.
Of course, you might not want to be out on sick pay for too long. There’s a chance it might not be 100% of your usual wages, and you might not be able to use it to cover the bills for too long.
But it’s good to know you’ve got time to be off work and recover without losing all of your income. This knowledge can be a massive weight off during this period, and it’s worth having it on your side to boost your mindset.
Look into Compensation
Depending on the reason you’re out of work, you could be due compensation. Usually this is the case when you’ve been injured, which means talking to a personal injury lawyer and giving them the details of the situation is a pretty safe bet.
Similarly, if you’ve been diagnosed with an illness as a result of something that happened at work, or someone else’s lack of foresight or proper risk handling, you could once again have a case.
But even outside of these two scenarios, you could be due a payout from someone. If you feel that you’ve been mistreated or discriminated against by your employer, or even the medical professionals who treated you after an accident, you should talk to a lawyer about it.
It’s difficult to say for sure if you’ll have a case, but compensation is often deserved when a person’s life has been negatively affected through no fault of their own. No matter the circumstances, if you’re out of work as a result, seek some legal representation and see what they think.
Use Your Savings Safety Net
If you’ve got one, use it. It’s OK to need it right now; the rainy day you were saving for all this time has finally poured down on you. There’s no need to try and hold off the storm and find as many other ways as possible to stay dry. If there are savings there for you to use, rely on them.
You don’t have to use up the whole pot, if you don’t want to. But at the same time, you shouldn’t feel guilty about needing to use all of your savings either. It’s called a safety net for a reason, and there’s no point dwelling on what other things you might need the money for.
You need it now, and there’s no way around that. And you can start rebuilding it the moment you get the chance.
Consider Remote Job Opportunities
There are quite a few out there, and you could be suitable for a whole host of them. If you’re able to use a laptop and access the internet, whether you can sit at a desk or work from the comfort of your bed, remote work job boards are good to keep an eye on.
After all, you don’t have to leave your home to get the work done. You may need to have a camera connection and working microphone for meetings, but otherwise you can work away in peace.
Try to limit the amount of applications you send out to ‘hybrid’ workplace set ups, as these tend to require you coming into the office at least once a week. Some may only require you to show your face in person once a month, but this is still something to take caution over.
Really consider if you’re up to leaving the house physically. If that isn’t going to be possible for you, don’t waste your time on these opportunities.
Stay Afloat When Out of Work
It’s not an easy thing to do, by any means. But you can keep your head above the water when you’re out of work and/or unable to work. You may be able to get back into the job market soon enough, but there are no guarantees.
The best thing to do is focus on the here and now, get yourself into a position where the next bill isn’t going to break you, and rely on a bit of legal help. Remember, your employer is likely to offer some kind of sick pay for you, and at the very least, you’ll have savings in place to give you a bit more time.
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