TELL US YOUR STORY AND EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH?
Gill In 2004, I had the world at my feet. Newly married, I had just completed my probationary year as a teacher in my local special school and was looking forward to a long and prosperous career in a role I loved.
Flash forward to 2006 and after, literally, many ups and downs, I received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. From then on, I felt like a magnet, receiving multiple mental health diagnoses, including binge eating disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which can see me go from happy to suicidal in a matter of hours. Suffice to say these diagnoses did not augur well with the stresses and strains of teaching and I was medically retired from teaching in 2014.
HOW DID YOU COME TO APPLY FOR A JOB AT THE NURSERY?
Gill In May 2018 I was hospitalised after yet another suicide attempt. While in hospital my consultant mentioned that it might be worthwhile if I looked for some ‘therapeutic work’. I felt the very suggestion was cruel. My mental health had cost me my career.
Something stuck though and months later I found myself one night on a ‘jobs wanted’ Facebook page. I put an ad out saying simply ‘Retired teacher looking for admin work’, expecting nothing back. I was so surprised when the nursery wrote back, saying they were looking for someone to assist with administrative and strategic support. I was even more surprised when I got the job!
WHY DID YOU NOMINATE YOUR MANAGER, NATALIE, FOR THE AWARD?
Gill At my interview I laid it all out on the table, all my diagnoses, and how they could affect my work. ‘Okay,’ was Natalie’s reply, ‘we can do this’. I thought this was too good to be true, haunted by the discrimination I had faced in previous jobs. But every adjustment has been put in place. Every situation, such as sudden severe withdrawals due to a medication mix-up, has been met head on with compassion, empathy and practical strategies. And Natalie does all this with the firm belief that this is just what should be done. I nominated her both to thank her, but also to show her that what she has done is special and deserves recognition.
WHAT CHANGES DID YOU MAKE AS A MANAGER TO HELP GILL AT WORK?
Natalie We offered Gill flexibility to choose hours/days that suited her. We planned to remodel our office, but I adapted it with Gill in mind. Her role is office-based, with the opportunity to work from home. It is so important to keep an open, honest dialogue so I can support the team in the best way. For example, during lockdown, Gill informed me she could feel isolated working from home, and ‘robot Gill’ was developed. This involved Facetiming her and keeping it on throughout the day. This enabled everyone to interact with Gill as if she was there; children and staff would say hello as they walked past and she was involved in every conversation. Such a simple adaptation that really changed Gill’s experience. Prior to introduction of the Wellness Action Plans, I would have regular check-ins, which still occur, but I am now more aware of the warning signs and can ask if anything requires adjustment. We already had a kind and supportive atmosphere for Gillian to join, but I think that we are even more aware now of how to support people appropriately.
TELL US ABOUT THE WELLNESS ACTION PLANS THAT THE NURSERY HAS IMPLEMENTED.
Gill Natalie allowed me to facilitate training on Wellness Action Plans for all of the staff. Downloadable from the charity Mind, they allow employees to look at what keeps them mentally healthy at work, any triggers they might experience, early warning signs of poor mental health, how they can support themselves and what the management team can do to support the person at each of these stages. Doing this has allowed staff to open up to the senior management team and has allowed us to support staff in a way more tailored to their individual needs.
WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS IT MADE TO BE ABLE TO WORK AT THE NURSERY?
Gill My life now is so different. When I started this role, I was utterly convinced that my multiple diagnoses had doomed me forever career-wise. Given their complexity, mental wellness is something I must work on daily, but since starting at the nursery, I have never required an extended period of sickness absence, my friends’ and families’ caring role has massively reduced, and most importantly I have at no time required hospital services.
NATALIE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WINNING THE AWARD?
Natalie Completely shocked, as I have been throughout this experience. I was surprised to be shortlisted, but even more so when I won. As a setting, and as a sector in general, we aim to cultivate the same supportive environment and nurturing approach that we create for our children and families and extend it towards our staff team. At the awards, judges, nominees and nominators shared some of their experiences with me that I think proves this environment needs to be created in all sectors to be beneficial to everyone.
- Listen to Gill and Natalie speak about their experiences on BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind (12 May), and the awards ceremony (30 June), at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.