Taking time off work is stressful. Whilst a week or a few weeks off school would have been a dream as a child, you have financial responsibilities as an adult, and those responsibilities weigh heavily on your mind when you’re no longer in work. Perhaps you’ve fallen seriously ill, either physically or mentally; perhaps you’ve been injured in or out of work. Whatever the case, your focus now should involve getting better and keeping your finances as secure as possible during that time. If you’re worried about how to do that, then here are some pieces of advice which might help you.

Talk to your employer.

This should be the first thing you do when you realize that you’re injured or unwell and you won’t be able to work for a few days or a few weeks. This isn’t just for the sake of making arrangements with your employer but for your own peace of mind. You want to know where you stand with regards to your job so that you’re not worrying about what you’ll do when you’ve recovered and getting yourself in an even worse state whilst you’re trying to recover.

Of course, even if you’ve been injured on the business premises, not all employers will be understanding of your situation, and you might want to look into legal help for a compensation claim if your employer disputes the severity of your accident in the workplace. Whilst your main focus should be your personal health, you don’t want to be making yourself physically or mentally sick by leaving your employment or financial situation messy and unresolved whilst you’re off work.

Be smart about your available funds.

If you’re only going to be off work for a few days then you probably won’t feel the squeeze on your bank account during your recovery or downtime, but you most certainly will if you’re going to be unwell or recovering from an injury for a few weeks. It’s important that you start thinking about your available funds during this time and protect your finances. You need to reel in your expenditures and focus on the necessities rather than luxuries during this time. Utility bills and food shopping both need to come first; you should have enough money set aside for that, but if you’re planning in the event of some incident putting you out of work for a while, then you should really think about creating an emergency fund to cover the things you’ll need whilst you’re not earning.

See what’s available to you.

Of course, whilst off work, there’s always the chance that certain types of income are available to you to help cover your costs whilst you’re recovering. Even if your employer isn’t entitled to cover your pay for sick leave, there might be benefits or entitlements which apply to you under the government. You might even be able to contact your energy supplier to get a reduction on your bill with regards to your current state of health. This could cut a chunk out of your monthly bill, and it’s important that you save money wherever possible whilst you have no income.