I am not in work

It is important to look after yourself and stay healthy whether or not you are in work. You can use this time to prepare yourself to look for work or to improve your skills and widen your experience.

If you are autistic, it is likely to be very important to your wellbeing for you to have a structure, purpose and routine to each day.

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

Take your mental and bodily health seriously,
it will help you to do whatever is important to you more happily and for longer

Lots of autistic people love work because it provides that, but how do you put structure in place if you are not working and you don’t know when you might have an interview, or a change to your plans? The following ideas might help:

  1. Set up a daily routine for yourself. Decide when you will get up, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, what you will do in the evening and when you will go to bed.
  2. Build exercise into your routine. It could be as simple as going for a run, or could be going to the gym, bouncing on a trampoline, swimming, playing sport or taking the dog for a walk if you have one. Getting outside and exercising regularly is great for reducing anxiety and will keep you healthy.
  3. If you are claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA), you should ensure that you spend time during the day trying to find a job. You will also need to plan your appointments to the Jobcentre and allow time for completing application forms and going to interviews. Most people have to apply for a lot of jobs before they get one, so try not to be too sad if it happens to you.
  4. Try to have contact with someone every day so that you do not feel lonely if that is something that upsets you. Some people like to join clubs that are related to things they enjoy. For example, singing in a choir is good for your brain and body as well as being fun.
  5. Plan time with your special or intense interest each day to bring you joy and stability.
  6. Work on the skills you want to develop or improve. It is possible to learn a lot of skills directly from the internet or from watching people showing you how on YouTube, as well as signing up for courses at your local Adult Education Centre or college.
  7. Doing things for other people can help you to feel good too. Look for opportunities to help out other people or volunteer.

Remember you are important as you are, and you do not need to be working to be worthwhile

You may qualify for benefits and financial support if you are not working.

If you are ill, the most important thing is to get better as soon as you can.

If you feel poorly, get help from a healthcare professional, such as a pharmacist, nurse or your doctor. You should be registered with a doctor’s practice. If you are not registered with a doctor, you can use the NHS website to find the closest one to you. If you tell them you are autistic, you can ask them to make reasonable adjustments to make it easier for you to be seen by a doctor. This guide from the NAS can help you explain any adjustments you need.

What should I tell my employer if I’m not well enough to come to work

If you are employed and you fall sick, you should follow the company procedures for how to tell them

Normally, you should ring your manager to let them know you are ill as soon as you can, and you will usually need to ring in every day you are ill. They may need to get someone else in to cover your work.

If you are sick for more than 7 days (including days you don’t normally work such as weekends and bank holidays), your employer may ask for a fit note (the proper name for it is a Statement of Fitness for Work).

Being sick is not the same as being disabled. If you are working for someone else and become ill, you should qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). You have to be ill for more than 3 days (the ‘waiting days’) and you will not be paid statutory sick pay for these unless you were paid sick pay within the previous 8 weeks. You cannot get statutory sick pay if you are self-employed. You may need to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) instead. Benefits can be complicated to work out, so check one of the benefits calculators to see if you can claim.

You many be able to claim other benefits. See also our section about being unwell at work.