Returning to Work After Illness

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Mentally and Physically Prepare for the Return

Returning to work after an illness can be extremely difficult. Not only are you still possibly recovering both mentally and physically, but you might have difficulty getting back on track with the workload that piled up while you are gone as well as discrimination from coworkers.

According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, research supports a relationship between certain conditions of work (high demand/low control, high effort/low reward) and a variety of adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, mental disorders, and immune system dysfunctions. Such conditions appear also to influence the likelihood of successfully returning to work after illness or injury.

In light of this information, one must take caution when returning to work after illness and be careful not to overwork oneself, especially if the illness left you less physically capable than you were before you left.

There are different positions that returning to work after an illness might allot you. Some of these are:

  • Returning to the previous position
  • Modified duty
  • Alternative position
  • Work-hardening positions

All of these descriptions focus around returning to work for the same company. If, however, you are looking to make a career change, there are certain considerations to be taken into account, which will be discussed later.

Do Not Rush into Returning to Work after Illness

The main thing to remember when recovering from an illness is to not rush returning to work after an illness. You have to slowly build back up your stamina and endurance. You need to also be aware of any regressions into your illness you make that returning to work gives you, or has the possibility of giving you.

For example, if you work on your feet for most of the day and are recently coming back from a skin disease/illness, there is a high chance you will develop skin irritations easier and faster than before that could significantly decrease your work output.

How to Healthily Return to Work after an Illness

Here are some tips on how to return to work after an illness in the most positive and healthy manner:

  • Speak to your supervisor before returning to work; go through an evaluation with just them to gain an idea of how far you’ve come in recovery and how far you have to go
  • Recognize physical ailments during the week before returning to work after your illness and take the initiative to postpone returning if necessary
  • Find an activity, like working out, that boosts your self-confidence, stamina and endurance, and help your recovery.

Getting a New Job when Returning to Work after Illness

If you choose, or the decision was made for you, to leave your current job and search for a new one after your illness, there are certain concerns you may not realize that need to be taken into consideration. First, depending on your age and length of injury, it might have been a while since you’ve gone looking for a job.

Figuring out what skills you have that are still relevant to the work you want to do can take some time. Even if the skill set hasn’t changed, companies tend to be weary of gaps in resumes, especially when the reasoning is of a personal nature.

Use these tips when returning to work after an illness at a job different than the one you left:

  1. Upgrade your skills – Taking courses at local or online universities is a great way to fill in the unemployment gap and show employers you are serious and passionate about staying on top with current industry trends.
  2. Get interview counseling – Employment counselors are great tools when you haven’t been on an interview in a while. They offer tips and give advice on ways to impress the interviewer.
  3. Overcome shyness – This comes into play during an interview. If you have been away from human interaction during your illness, signing up for a college course or participating in a group or club can bring back interaction skills that will be useful during the interview process.
  4. Enlist a temp agency – Working on a temporary basis is a good way to slowly return to work after an illness. These jobs offered by temp agencies are usually less stressful and takes up less time than other jobs.