What to Do on Long-Term Sick Leave

If you’re ill and it’s looking increasingly unlikely that you’re able to work, you’re probably considering long-term sick leave.

When I developed a migraine variant balance disorder last year while working in digital marketing, I did everything I could to stay in work: I reduced my hours and put together a plan to phase back up to normal, I delegated more than ever and I took a step back from client-facing work. But, 7 months later, I acknowledged that it wasn’t working. I still couldn’t function normally and the stress of that expectation to do better was exacerbating my symptoms.

At the time I saw long-term sick leave as an admission of failure. I had worked so hard over the past few years to get to my position in leadership, and I had a team underneath me who relied on me. Taking time off meant that my willpower wasn’t strong enough. Add to that the fact that my neuro-otologist initially advised against stopping work completely — as it would make it harder to return to full-time work in the long run — and you can see why I resisted it for so long.

In October 2023, after a lot of tearful conversations with my boss, HR and medical professionals, I finally agreed to go on long-term sick leave for a planned period of 3 months, with the option to extend it to 6 months if necessary. There is a lot of information online about some…