For Workers: Your Paycheck Doesn't Stop Being Needed Just Because You're Disabled
What Happens When You Can't Work?
It's not a question most people like to sit with. Whether you're a contractor running your own operation or a worker who shows up every day to get the job done, your income depends on your ability to be there. But what happens if you are injured and can’t make it to work? How long do you have before you deplete your savings?
An injury on the jobsite. A surgery that takes longer to recover from than anyone expected. A serious illness that keeps you off your feet for weeks or months. These things happen. And in construction, where the physical demands are real and the environment carries risk every single day, they happen more often than most people want to think about.
This is why disability insurance is one of the most important protections you can have, not just for your family, but for your future.
The Risk Is Closer Than You Think
Construction is tough work. You're around heavy equipment, working at heights, lifting, operating in conditions where accidents happen even when everyone is doing things right. And it's not just workplace accidents - heart disease, cancer, back injuries, and other health conditions can take anyone out of work without warning.
The Social Security Administration estimates that more than one in four 20-year-olds will experience a disability before reaching retirement age. That's not a distant possibility. That's a real number that represents real people just like you.
For Workers: Your Paycheck Doesn't Stop Being Needed Just Because You're Out
Most workers in construction are living on what they earn. When an injury or illness takes you off the job, the bills don't pause. The rent, the mortgage, groceries, car payments none of it waits for you to heal.
Short-term disability insurance can replace a portion of your income during the early weeks of recovery, giving you the breathing room to focus on getting better instead of scrambling to figure out how to keep the lights on. Long-term disability coverage steps in when a situation extends further, providing continued income replacement so a temporary setback doesn't become a permanent financial crisis.
This isn't a luxury. For anyone who works with their body for a living, this is a foundation.
For Contractors: You Are the Business
When you're the one running the show, the stakes are higher. You don't just lose a paycheck when you're out, you risk losing the business itself.
Individual disability insurance protects your personal income when you can't work. But as a contractor, there's more to think about. Business overhead expense coverage can help keep your operation running even while you're recovering - covering things like rent, equipment payments, and employee wages so your business doesn't fall apart while you're healing.
If you have a business partner, disability-funded buy-sell agreements protect both of you from the financial strain that comes when one partner is suddenly unable to work. Without that planning in place, one person's health event can fracture a partnership that took years to build.
The Conversation Most People Put Off
Disability insurance tends to get skipped because it doesn't feel urgent until it is. Nobody plans on getting hurt or getting sick. But the people who are most glad they had coverage are always the ones who got it before they needed it.
Premiums are lower when you're younger and healthier. Qualifying is easier. And once you have coverage in place, you have it.
At Engage, we work with both individual workers and contractors to find coverage that actually fits your situation and your budget. We're independent, which means we're not pushing one company's products. We tailor our solutions to your needs. No pressure, no jargon, just a real conversation about protecting what you've worked for.
Because whether you're building someone else's project or building your own business, what you've built deserves protection.