Sometimes, no matter how well we take care of it, our health has an impact on the rest of our lives, including our work. Whether it’s a mental health issue that you’re struggling with or it’s a physical complaint that you’re dealing with, the truth is that your health can have a seriously big impact on your day-to-day life, including your work.
When you’re dealing with a health issue, it can have much further reaching implications than just the problem itself, and it’s important to be aware of that, as well as understanding what steps you can take to mitigate the impact.
Wondering what you can do when your health is impacting your work? Below is a guide to some of the ins and outs of the best ways to deal with these kinds of issues.
Speak to your employer
One of the first steps that you should take, if you find that a health issue is impacting your ability to work, is to speak with your employer. Even if you don’t want to or don’t feel comfortable sharing the ins and outs of what’s going on, what you can do is simply explain that you’re dealing with a medical issue and would appreciate some additional support. At least this way, your employer is aware of the situation and may be able to put steps in place to help to support you.
Seek medical support
Whatever the issue is that you’re dealing with, it’s vital that you make the time to seek some medical support. It’s important that you get whatever it is that you’re dealing with checked and monitored by medical professionals.
This might simply mean sharing how you’re feeling with your doctor or it might mean booking a private ultrasound scan, either way it’s vital that you take the steps necessary to get the help and support that you need. Not sure what support you need? Speak to a medical professional and ask what steps they would recommend that you take.
Look at flexible working
If you’re finding that how you’re working is making the problem worse or feels unmanageable with what you’re dealing with, consider looking at how you’re working and whether how you’re working is the right situation for you right now. Perhaps it could be worth having a conversation with your employer about whether it might be possible for you to work flexibly for a while, to make dealing with your health issues a little easier to manage.
Should your employer not be supportive or unwilling to discuss this or any other flexible options, then perhaps it might be worth thinking about some other options, such as moving into a new role, for instance. Or, perhaps you might want to consider working in a freelance capacity for a while, giving yourself the flexibility that you need to put your health first and start to heal.
There you have it, a guide to what steps you can take when your health is impacting your work.
