PCG advises freelancers on how to cope with sickness and deadlines

Despite the many benefits of working as a freelancer, such as having increased flexibility and freedom, there are some downsides, which include not being entitled to sick pay!

Unfortunately illness cannot be avoided, and as a contractor working for yourself it means that if you’re unwell there’s usually no one else to do the work for you, and so the Professional Contractors Group (PCG) have released advice on how to cope with being ill when self-employed.

Firstly, the PCG advises not to panic when you realise that you are unwell, as worrying about the situation could potentially leave you taking longer to recover, which will lose you more time in the long run.

You need to assess just how ill you are and whether you might be able to cope with getting some sort of work done, obviously the likeliness of this will all depend on the sector that you specialise in and whether it is a physical type of job or not.

If you don’t feel too bad then prioritise the important tasks and put off things you do during the day that you don’t end up billing clients for.

Trusted expert Laura Spencer, tells the PCG to rely on friends and family if you can, to help you out with daily chores, such as shopping, so that you needn’t worry about this side of your life and can concentrate on work related tasks.

Getting as much rest as possible is highly recommended, Laura Spencer suggests taking a nap or two during the day to help your body fight illness and you could even complete a few tasks in between resting.

Lastly, if you really are too ill to work and will be laid low for a week or more, then you will probably have to consider contacting your client to explain the situation.  Most people will understand that you have done everything in you power to complete the work by the deadline date, and no one can prevent illnesses.

Tagged as: contracting, freelancer, SJD accountancy