You never think it’s going to happen to you, do you? And then, out of the blue something awful happens and you end up getting seriously hurt. It’s shocking and terrifying, and in a split second it feels like everything has changed. Getting hurt, regardless of how it happened, is absolutely awful, especially when an accident has far-reaching, long-term consequences. 

The reality is that you don’t think about what would happen if you suffered a serious injury, until it happens to you. Because, once it’s happened to you, it’s a problem that you need to deal with and actually find a way to live with. Of course, knowing how to do that can be rather difficult. 
One area that can be seriously impacted by being involved in an accident is your career. For a lot of us, our careers are everything, they’re one of the reasons that we get out of bed in the morning. So, for an accident to de-rail our career success is something that can have a major impact, and something that most people want to find a way to mitigate.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a few tips and suggestions for ways in which you can ensure that your career isn’t impacted after you have a serious accident. Read on for everything that you should know. 

Be open and honest with your employer 

One of the most important things that you can do to ensure that your career isn’t negatively impacted after suffering a serious accident is to be open and honest with your employer. Don’t promise to return to work in as little as a few days if doing so is going to be a struggle for you. Instead, tell your employer exactly what time you need in order to properly recover and be able to do your job properly. 

If your employer is concerned by the amount of time you will be off for, perhaps you could suggest a staggered return where you come back slowly, over time. Or, alternatively, maybe you could work remotely while you recover so that the work is still being done but you’re able to do it from the comfort of your own home. 

Hopefully, by being honest with your employer about the condition that you’re in and how much time you need to recover, you should be able to keep your role open while you recover.

Rethink how you work (if necessary) 

It might be that, while you recover, you need to take a step back and rethink how you work. You may have loved how active your role was before but, perhaps in light of your accident, you might now want to think about working in a less active way – at least, just while you fully recover. 

It might be worth having a conversation with your employer about this, so that you can both determine a new approach to how you work and do your job on a daily basis while you heal. The chances are that your employer will be understanding and helpful when it comes to dealing with your current circumstance, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to have a conversation with them.

Get creative with your career 

When it comes to managing your career going forward, it might be that getting a little creative in terms of how you manage it, could be a smart move to make. It might be that while you previously loved your role, in light of the injuries that you have developed, it’s now no longer a role that you can do comfortably. 

If this is the case and, in the long term, you will have ongoing health issues as a result of an accident that led to an injury, you might want to consider seeking the support of an injury lawyer, like attorney Eric Ramos, for example. 

You may want to opt to change how you approach your career, such as moving out of an employed role and into a more flexible and remote-based freelance role instead. This kind of role can still help to progress your career, but it can also give you the flexibility that you need to work in a way that’s comfortable for you. 

There you have it, a guide to how you can ensure that your career isn’t impacted after a serious accident.