From hearing the news that a pandemic had hit, this left everyone feeling uncertain and worried about what to expect going forward. Little did I know that it would affect my career. After being furloughed in March 2020, I then had the news that redundancies were going to take place. With a young child this left me worrying how I would cope financially, especially with childcare costs and a mortgage to pay.
When I came across the vacancy for a co-ordinator’s role at Valentine, I applied with every bit of hope I had left after a year of such bad luck. I was then elated to hear I had an interview.
During the interview, any interview nerves soon disappeared the more I spoke to Adam (Managing Director) and Jane (HR). They immediately made me feel comfortable and once the interview was over, I felt a glimmer of hope that this year could finally be working out in a positive way for me. After hearing the way both Adam and Jane described the business and also the team, it was so refreshing to hear. A week later, I received a call to say I had a job offer. To say I was happy is an understatement.
Now 6 months into my role, I can happily say I could not have made a better decision. I work with an amazing team who all support each other and want each other to do well. I have a supportive management team who really understand the pressures of being a mum and that sometimes things happen which can affect your working day. I have also been given the opportunity to use my skillset from my previous roles, which brings more excitement to my role here at Valentine.
Although I have come across some positive experiences with working for Valentine Occupational health, I also encountered some challenges at no fault of Valentine as it was mainly due to adapting to a new working practice relating to the COVID 19 situation. With working from home and only working 3 days in the office since my start date, I have done all my training via video calls. Management have been supportive and did all my training at a pace that worked for me. My previous experience has been mainly working in an office environment so I wasn’t sure how I would adapt to working from home without the immediate support from speaking to colleagues and whether I would feel isolated. However, this was immediately alleviated when working for this company due to the amount of support that I received. Management implemented an hour team meet up via teams where we could all get together, which helped me feel less isolated and still a part of the team.
The positives are that I have built great relationships with our clients and I can already see how much the company has grown in only 6 months. I am excited to be a part of this amazing growing business and I look forward to being a part of it all long term.
I know a lot of people will feel in that black hole right now… I know I did, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel….
We are always going to face and come across challenges, but do not feel that you are on your own as there is always support out there to help you through it. Should you wish to receive any support or guidance, you can access this through the following web links;
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/about-loneliness/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/coronavirus/loneliness-during-coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/7-simple-tips-to-tackle-working-from-home/
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/feeling-lonely/
Sarah Howarth – Occupational Health Coordinator
