How to Get Your Career Back on Track When Experiencing a Health Issue

 September 06, 2020

Whether you are suffering from a mental health condition, or are struggling with a chronic illness, it can be difficult to continue to work throughout this problem. Health issues can severely knock your career and may even make you lose your job or mean that you are unable to return to work. However, there are many ways that you can get your career back on track during and after your health problem, and here are some of the best.

Seek the Appropriate Treatment

Before you return to work, it is paramount that you have sought treatment and have fully recovered from your condition. You should also consider continuing any treatment that you are undergoing throughout the first months of your return to work, especially in the case of mental health problems. For instance, if you are struggling with addiction, which may be caused by stress at work, Blue Cross rehab can help you to get your career back on track by helping you to overcome any alcohol or drug dependence. Not only this, but residential centers can also give you the tools and skills that you will need to cope with a return to the workplace healthily.

Speak to Your Manager or Colleagues

Before you make a decision to look for another job or give up the previous career that you had in mind, you must speak to your manager or colleagues about your condition. Then, you may be able to come to an agreement about reasonable adjustments that could be made for you, as well as flexible working hours on your return. Your colleagues may also be able to help you to lessen your workload and take some of the strain of returning to work away from you.

Consider Career Gaps

If you are looking to kickstart your career after your health issue, you should not consider work history gaps as being detrimental to your job search. For instance, you can focus on the positive change that you experienced throughout that period or explain that you showed responsibility in making the decision to take the time to recover before returning to work. You can also hinge your applications on other aspects of your resume, rather than simply your working life, such as your hobbies and interests, or any non-paid experience you have.

Find an Employer You Trust

However, if you are looking for employment in a company, you need to make sure that you find an employer that you can trust and be honest with, as it is best to explain your health issues to them. You will also need to continue to update them on your progress as you recover. To do this, you should look for employers that focus on staff wellbeing and have strict policies on health and mental health issues.

Cope with Workplace Stress

To make sure that your return to work is a success, you should make sure that you do not fall into the trap of workplace stress. This means you should take frequent breaks, avoid working at home or in your time off, and only take on the amount of work that you can manage.