Venessa was referred to Thrive into Work by her job coach after leaving her previous employer. Talking about this, Venessa says: “I felt like I was being taken advantage of by my employer, I was overworked, and my employer was not listening to my health concerns and this impacted on my mental health.”
Upon joining the service, Venessa didn’t know what to expect but was very impressed with how quickly her Employment Specialist, Naseem, got in touch.
Venessa knew that being out of work was not a positive thing and often found herself becoming withdrawn. She has always had a desire to further her career but felt the lack of support was holding her back. Together, she and Naseem worked to build her confidence, developed techniques to handle difficult situations and ways to speak up when things were getting too much.
“Naseem helped me to see that I shouldn’t be taken advantage of by an employer, and I have rights as an employee which can be challenged if needed.
“I have loved working with Naseem and hope to work with her in the future with my own staff.” Says Venessa.
We are delighted that Venessa has started employment and has already been promoted to Deputy Manager and says: “Since starting work there have been no changes to my medication and no mental health appointments. I am a lot better in myself and enjoy coming to work. I have been feeling positive and look forward to the future.”
We spoke to Venessa’s manager, who said: “From the moment Venessa came into our employment she has demonstrated that her ethos for care in the community is exactly what we were looking for in a candidate. She has been very open and transparent about her diagnosis and spoke with me about what led her to the diagnosis and how she manages it in her day to day life.
“Venessa understands what her triggers are and how to manage this and I am confident that she will flourish with the continued support of Naseem and myself.”