I am sick or have a concern

If you are unwell or are worried about something you should consider seeking help. The following sections will help you to think about where to find help or support and what do to do if you are unwell while jobless or when in work.

You can find information about organisations offering support with health and wellbeing at this link

It is important that you look after your mental and physical health

Asking for help is not an admission of weakness or failure. It can help you get the job done faster or better and might lead to a positive improvement for everybody. Most people are anxious about asking for help and worried that they’ll be rejected, but helping other people makes the person helping feel good, so they are unlikely to say no.

Who to ask?

When you start work, you should be introduced to your supervisor or line manager, who you probably met during the recruitment process. They are the person who is responsible for your work and managing your performance.

Your supervisor or line manager is usually your first point of contact for any issues that you have

If you work for a larger organisation, there may be a Human Resources team you could speak to, or a union representative. You may also be allocated a work mentor or supporter who is there to help you.

Why ask for help?

You might ask for help if:

  • You don’t understand something – this doesn’t reflect badly on you, it is usually as much to do with the person who originally explained it to you.
  • You’ve made a mistake – don’t worry, we all do – the most important thing is that you noticed and have admitted to it
  • You are undecided how to do something – such as responding to a particular question being asked. Getting someone else’s opinion often helps reassure you that your original thinking was sensible. If their opinion is different from yours it might also lead to a better solution, either by adding their ideas to your own, or by swapping them
  • You want to learn – this is something every employer values in an employee. Being curious about how things work and why we do them this way helps us to understand our own work and learning new things is a strong motivator.

When to ask for help

When you are feeling really anxious, sorting out a concern sooner is better than leaving it

However, getting the timing right when to asking for help is important. Try not to ask when you can see that someone is really busy, just before a break time or at end of the day or shift. Agree to talk at a time when it would be convenient for the person who is helping you. If you find you’re coming up with lots of little questions, you might want to group them all together, and agree a good time with your line manager to tackle them all in one go, rather than making little, regular interruptions.

How to ask for help

Ask the question in the right way, and it will enhance your experience. When you are thinking of asking for help:

  • Try simple solutions first. Then you can tell your line manager what you have tried so far. They are more likely to be impressed by your initiative.
  • If you’ve tried 3 things already and can’t find a solution, ask for help. If you keep trying on your own and failing, you should ask for help. It’s good to try to solve something for yourself, but it’s alright to seek help if a problem is stopping you from getting a task done.
  • Come with possible solutions or at least questions, not just problems. Even if they need some tweaking to make them work, you will make it easier for someone trying to help you to get to a good workable solution.
  • Ask for help by email. It gives you chance to think about how best to phrase your question and the person you are asking time to think through the issues carefully and provide a thoughtful reply.
  • Write down the answers and learn how it is done. It can be helpful to refer to it again.
  • Try to work with someone else similar to solve the solution. Simply asking to do something “together” makes people more likely to want to work with you. Find allies by using something you have in common, an interest, goal, friend or trait highlighting shared experience. For example, if a senior management team includes only two autistic women, don’t just say, “We’re the only two autistic women on the team” (emphasising the trait). Say, “Have you noticed that we get interrupted all the time?” (shared experience).
  • Recognise their expertise. Refer to them as someone with a specific skill, position or attribute that means they are the ideal person to help you. For example, “You are the person who understands this area best….”
  • Say thank you in advance. It helps people to show that you appreciate their help.
  • Talk about how effective their input is. People want to feel that they have made a difference, so if by getting involved, they have made the product or process better quicker or more cost effective in any way, then thank them and tell other people too.
  • Offer to help other people. Provided you have the skills and ability that is needed. Offering to help someone else is a great way to help them feel happy about helping you when you need it.

You can be unwell physically or mentally. This is usually called being ‘sick’ (and doesn’t necessarily mean vomiting). Both are illnesses and you may need to take time off work to recover from them. If you are unwell, it is in both your and the company’s interests for you to say at home, rest and recover, particularly if your illness is contagious.

If you are employed, you will probably be paid while off sick, although not necessarily the same way as when you’re at work. Your employer may have more generous terms and additional support to that detailed below, which is the minimum legal level. Sometimes sick pay isn’t offered during probation periods.

If you are not working, check out the tips on looking after yourself if you are not in work.

What to do if you are unwell

Most people get sick sometimes. If you are an employee, you should contact your line manager as soon as you know you are too ill to work. Normally, this will be by phone, but your workplace may have another arrangement.

If you are autistic, using a phone to contact someone you don’t know may not be possible for you – you can ask for an alternative way of contacting your employer, such as an email or text to your line manager as a reasonable adjustment

Some organisations ask you to contact a helpline to record your absence. They can ask you what is wrong and even suggest treatment, but you do not have to give them any personal information. Most people don’t want to know any more about your illness than to confirm that you are genuinely sick and when you will be back to work. Don’t forget to tell them about any work which has to be done whilst you are away.

  • If you are sick for less than 7 days, you do not have to give your employer any proof of your sickness, although you may have to complete a form. This is called ‘self-certification’.
  • If you are sick for more than 7 days in a row (including non-working days such as weekends), you have to give your employer a ‘fit note’ (sometimes called a sick note) from your GP or a hospital doctor. It will explain any changes, such as reduced hours or different tasks, that you will need to do on your return in order to be fit enough to return to work. The employer MUST make these changes if you are disabled.
  • If you are sick just before or during your holiday you can legally take that time as sick leave instead. You cannot be forced to take annual leave instead of sick leave.

There is specific guidance on when you are sick on the Gov.UK website

Long-Term Sickness

If you are sick for more than 4 weeks, you are considered long-term sick. Your annual leave (holiday) entitlement continues whilst you are sick.

Most companies will have an absence policy which explains how they manage periods of absence and illness

If you are often off sick or are off sick for an extended period you may trigger this process.

You can be dismissed whilst you are on long-term sick leave, but the employer has to have considered whether you can return on different conditions, such as working flexibly, doing different or less stressful work (after training if needed). They also have to consult with you about when you could return to work. If you think you have been unfairly dismissed, you can take your employer to an employment tribunal.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

If you are an employee, earn over £118 per week and have been off sick for more than 4 days in a row (including non-working days) you qualify forStatutory Sick Pay (SSP). You can be paid SSP for up to 28 weeks. This amount is paid by your employer and they then recover it from the Government. Your contract may entitle you to more pay, but you cannot be paid less.

Normally, during the first 3 days of any absence you won’t be eligible for sick pay, which starts from day 4 onwards. The exception to this is if you have already received SSP in within the last 8 weeks.

There are different rules for agricultural workers.

You are no longer eligible for SSP if you have a continuous period of ‘linked’ sickness lasting more than 3 years. ‘Linked’ periods of sickness must:

  • last 4 or more days each
  • be 8 weeks or less apart

If you are not eligible for SSP or your eligibility runs out, you may be able to claim Universal credit Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).