If you suffer an injury in the workplace, there is a very good chance that physical pain might not be the only thing you experience, as it can also be a painful experience trying to cope with less money coming in while you recuperate.
Having an accident at work means that you might have to spend a prolonged period of time away from the workplace, and you might also find that your pay becomes affected, which can be very difficult to contend with, unless you get your finances sorted.
Getting sick pay
If you suffer an injury, your first thought probably won’t be about what pay you will be entitled to while you are off work, but it will soon be a topic of discussion.
If you are likely to be off work for a number of weeks in order to recover, it is likely that you will be entitled to receive some kind of sick pay, if you normally earn over £111 per week, based on 2014-15 entitlement calculations.
There is legislation that means you should be entitled to at least receive statutory sick pay, but it may well be that your employer has a sick pay scheme that proves to be more generous than the state version.
Check your employment contract or speak to your HR department or employer directly, depending on the size of the business, so that you can confirm exactly what scheme is in operation and what you are entitled.
It is possible that you might even be able to spend a few weeks away from work on full pay, although this would be discretionary, as a separate scheme to statutory sick pay is voluntary and not therefore enforceable, unless it is written into your contract.
Making a claim
It is entirely understandable that you might be reluctant to think about making a work accident claim, especially if you are intending to return to work if and when you are able to do so.
The point to remember is that an accident in the workplace, which forces you to take time away from your employment and receive a lower monthly salary than you are used to if you are on sick pay, will put your finances under a certain amount of strain.
Provided a claim is made and handled in a professional manner, this is a perfectly normal response to a challenging situation and if your claim manages to highlight a failing within the business to follow health and safety practices correctly, your action could prevent the same thing happening to somebody else.
It would be unfair if your financial situation suffered through no fault of your own, so it makes sense to get good legal advice and do what you can to keep your finances on track during such a difficult period in your working life.
It is going to be difficult managing your money when you are receiving less than normal, so find out how best to keep your finances afloat while you are away from work.
Harry Bishop has had a tough time of it recently. He was in an accident at work, and has also been dealing with a frail Father-in-law. To keep his spirits up and his mind active he has been writing articles about his experiences.
