Unlock the secrets to a balanced life where mental health, career satisfaction, and financial stability converge. Join me as I sit down with the esteemed Ajay Maisuria from Vita Health Group, whose expertise in employment advising sheds light on the critical interplay between your psychological wellbeing and your job. As we explore the nuances of this relationship, you'll gain an understanding of how to navigate the workforce while safeguarding your mental health,.
This enlightening conversation traverses the landscape of financial wellbeing, revealing why it's more than just numbers in a bank account—it's the peace of mind that comes with it. Listen as Ajay offers a blueprint for maintaining employment in the face of mental health challenges, returning to the workplace post-sickness, and securing a job that sustains both your wallet and your soul.
Unlock the secrets to a balanced life where mental health, career satisfaction, and financial stability converge. Join me as I sit down with the esteemed Ajay Maisuria from Vita Health Group, whose expertise in employment advising sheds light on the critical interplay between your psychological wellbeing and your job. As we explore the nuances of this relationship, you'll gain an understanding of how to navigate the workforce while safeguarding your mental health,.
This enlightening conversation traverses the landscape of financial wellbeing, revealing why it's more than just numbers in a bank account—it's the peace of mind that comes with it. Listen as Ajay offers a blueprint for maintaining employment in the face of mental health challenges, returning to the workplace post-sickness, and securing a job that sustains both your wallet and your soul.
Enjoy a moment of relaxing calm with the Vita Health Group well-being series of podcasts to make you feel good, keep you healthy, help you make changes to your life. Vita Health Group is an award-winning market leader and has been at the forefront of healthcare for the past 30 years. Vita Health Group making people better.
Speaker 2:Yes, welcome along. Another one of the Vita Health Group podcasts. Thanks very much for subscribing to our series of podcasts here at Vita Health Group. I'm Glenn Thompson and today's episode we chat about something that affects many of us when it comes to our working day. To chat through this subject, I'm joined by AJ Masura. Aj is a senior employment advisor at Vita Health Group. Aj, welcome, nice to have you on the podcast today. How are you doing? I'm doing good, glenn. Thanks for having me. Excellent, we can talk about work, aren't we? And financial well-being particularly, but your job role, as I said at the top there, a senior employment advisor as a Vita Health Group, that's rather a grand title. What does it entail exactly?
Speaker 3:It's a great role. So employment advisors support people who are accessing psychological therapy for common mental health problems like anxiety and depression, and it gives individuals the opportunity to address their mental health and employment concerns at the same time and take back control of their lives. So, as a senior employment advisor, I coordinate a team of employment advisors and provide case management supervision to ensure that we offer a coordinated package of care.
Speaker 2:OK, so what does that support actually include, then, aj?
Speaker 3:So individuals are supported to work towards one of three goals and firstly, they could be supported to remain in work, and that's when they could be struggling and experiencing presentism, where that's being physically present at work but where the mind is wrought with worry leading to a lack of focus on their normal work duties and often include a decline in productivity. Secondly, they could be supported to return to work from a period of sickness which can feel overwhelming without a return to work plan that promotes a gradual return with regional adjustment support and occupational health advice. Or the third option is to support people to find work by overcoming barriers to find and gain sustainable employment.
Speaker 2:OK, so that's your job role and what it includes as well, and the type of support you're giving. Another area we want to discuss in the podcast today is financial well-being, aj. What do we mean by that exactly?
Speaker 3:Financial well-being is about having the financial freedom to make the choices that allow us to enjoy life. Every day we make choices with our money, and each of these decisions will impact our lives holistically. So people who experience a sustainable level of financial well-being can also feel less stressed about money and therefore have a positive effect on overall mental health and general lifestyle. So employment plays a key role in creating that right level of financial well-being.
Speaker 2:OK, well, it sounds like mental health can have a big impact on workers. Well, why do you think that is AJ?
Speaker 3:Quarters of mental health can be very individual to a person, where life events can be a trigger and impact a person's ability to perform at their best at work. But let's not forget that work can also be a cause of mental ill health due to variety of factors, including sustained stress levels. So it's really important to look after our mental health just as we should our physical health and, due to the amount of time we spend in work, it should be inclusive of support for our mental health. Otherwise, worries about finances or other life factors can add distress, low mood and cause presentism.
Speaker 2:And why is work so important to us? You know we all have a reason to get up in the morning, don't we? And work is one big reason for most people. Why is work so important to the vast majority of people, aj?
Speaker 3:Ultimately, going to work provides a financial security and well-being to complete the necessary tasks in life like paying bills, maintenance for essential repairs. It could be on the home or the car, but work also provides social interaction with our colleagues or clients, a sense of value from working as part of a team, and provides the means to enjoy those hobbies or interests which are vital to provide downtime, relaxation and enjoyment, or key ingredients for our well-being, so work can also be positively challenging for us as well, then.
Speaker 3:That's right. Going to work also provides a regular routine, as you mentioned, glenn. So over the working week, an opportunity where our mental health and physical resilience or ability to cope is challenged by going to work, and that's positively challenged and that's through the tasks and deadlines that we're required to achieve on a day-to-day basis. And that's really important, as the more we do a task, the easier it becomes, meaning reduced or no stress the next time we do it. That's why it's also important to be at our best at work, especially at present, so we can perform to our fullest when we're at work but then also enjoy our time at home to maintain that work-life balance.
Speaker 2:The pandemic has had a huge effect on so many people, hasn't it? Over the last, what two years now? How has employment been affected by the coronavirus pandemic?
Speaker 3:It's absolutely caused. Different presentations for different people and different employment sectors have been impacted by the pandemic, resulting in different ways of working remote or hybrid in contrast to a few years ago. But let's not forget, at the moment the cost of living has also risen sharply, with little time to prepare and, for example, fuel costs can and will impact journeys to and from work, increasing worry and stress levels for many. The current economic climate for employment has also resulted in many individuals reassessing their current employment situations, finances and lifestyles in the hope of gaining better financial stability and maybe considering their transferable skills for a move into a different sector of work.
Speaker 2:And when it comes to support, what can employers do to support employees? Aj.
Speaker 3:Firstly, I'd suggest normalising talking about finances.
Speaker 3:When we're worried about a situation, including finances, it's really easy to avoid talking about it due to fear or feeling overwhelmed.
Speaker 3:But the longer we remain stressed, the bigger the likelihood for productivity at work to decline. We experience sleepless nights and even impact relationships at work or home. So employers can help their staff by normalising the topic of financial well-being through existing support mechanisms such as EAP or Employee Assistance Programs, which usually include an array of staff benefits, including a focus on well-being support via counselling or other talking therapies. Eap programs also often include staff benefits, including local discounts on goods and services, which can be a great way to save money. Where employees are able to offer salary advance schemes, refreshing awareness of the scheme could help with essential bills or costs for employees when combined with an awareness of budgeting towards the next payday. So lastly, and not forgetting forums or well-being events, employers can often provide well-being advice via staff intranets or emails with a given focus in a month or a week. Forums can act as a safe place to raise and normalise money-related worries and can allow sharing of best practices which may have helped fellow colleagues in the past.
Speaker 2:There's a certain amount of responsibility we as employees can do for ourselves, to help ourselves as well aren't there.
Speaker 3:That's right. So one of the most common questions for employees is how can I increase my salary? Now, talking about money-related worries isn't easy at the best of times, but when it comes to talking about salaries, employees do have a common approach which can provide the best opportunity in terms of appraisals and review meetings. These meetings provide a good space to talk about pay and any potential for increase based on performance, so it's really important to be prepared to highlight your work achievements, since you've lost appraisal, so it can be taken into consideration.
Speaker 2:I think our listeners are going to find this next piece really interesting. On our podcast today AJ, and that is some working day practical tips. What have you got for us so?
Speaker 3:planning ahead is key, and that's really to avoid stress and anxiety. It's a really simple approach. However, it can be really effective if put into perspective regularly. So, first and foremost, leaving enough time for travel. Delays can increase stress levels and leave us feeling anxious and agitated, and that's even before we start work. So planning a time-saving route is essential and can help save on fuel consumption.
Speaker 3:Where people are working from home or hybrid working, it's important to start working a relaxed frame of mind as well, so try to include a period of downtime after completing those busy morning duties or chores. Secondly, also consider budgeting, and by saving on non-essential spends, we can also consider our financial well-being as well. So let's put that into context that coffee or hot drink on the way to work or at lunch possibly, could be replaced by that favourite jar of coffee at the place of work. It's important to be aware of caffeine intake in choices like tea and coffee and energy drinks, as too much caffeine can also feel the same as feeling very anxious, and that includes racing, heart shaking, feeling irritable, and can also affect sleep if consumed close to bedtime. So ideally, balance water and opt for decaffeinated drinks.
Speaker 3:Lastly, let's not forget our lunch times. Lunch times are meant to be planned breaks and our busy days to re-energize and recuperate. So by buying lunch items in a weekly shop to plan ahead, we can save time and reduce more costly on-the-go lunches, while also giving you the recommended break in your working day. And there is a link between food and mood. When we tend to feel low or anxious, we tend to opt for those sugary, fatty foods as a pick-me-up, but the same foods can leave you feeling sluggish during the working day. So nutrition should be monitored to ensure that you are getting your five a day too.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's important, isn't it? And there may be times when someone's thinking to increase the number of hours they work to earn more and meet costs and expenditure in their own lives. Is there a recommended way to work more hours, aj?
Speaker 3:It's really important to maintain work-life balance, so if a person is considering working additional hours through an existing or additional new employment, ensure that hours don't become excessive and allow you to gain the all-important rest and downtime away from work. Where an increase in working hours is due to struggling with overdue bills or other debts, consider external support via a CAB or Citin's Advice Bureau, as informing the right people of your money worries can also help to ease pressures.
Speaker 2:That's so true, isn't it? And if a person was signed off work due to sickness but they felt ready to return to work at ease finances, is there any support they could request Now?
Speaker 3:sickness could be due to a variety of reasons, so it's important to seek advice from your GP if a person has been signed off work for more than seven days. Returning to work after a period of absence can feel overwhelming and daunting for many people with common worries about organisational changes explaining absence to colleagues and workloads upon returning, it's really important to be included in planning conversations to help reduce anxiety and worry, which may start quite early on as well. So initially, some steps that could help is to draft a few main support considerations that would help a person to return to work and drive those conversations to aid a potential phase return over the initial weeks.
Speaker 2:That's a phrase we hear quite a lot of these days, isn't it Phased return? Are there any suggestions to aid that AJ?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's right. It can be a really effective practice to help people step back into the workplace in a graduated phase. So suggestions could be to initially reduce hours or days worked, or even altering duties or responsibilities. What's key is to consider what would help the person the most. Next would be to contact a manager or HR advisor to discuss a return to work plan through an open discussion with focus aiding a sustainable return to work. It's really important to remember where an individual has been off work for more than one month. A meeting with an occupational health advisor, which is normally arranged by the employer, can also be supportive in assessing individual situations and suggesting reasonable adjustments.
Speaker 2:Fascinating advice Now. I'm guessing there's a lot of support out there for the unemployed as well. Aj, perhaps you can give us some ideas there is Now.
Speaker 3:First and foremost, let's not forget local job centers. Local job centers are linked to the local employer market and that's really important because different sectors have transitioned. We've got some sectors offering more opportunities, others lesser, compared to two years ago, so it's a great place to gain up to date information on the local jobs market and consider transferable skills if you are looking for a change as well. The National Career Service is also a great place to gain careers information, advice and guidance, with links to local labor market information that says local vacancies, to help identify national demands in vacancies. Now the National Career Service is housed on the GovUK website and let's not forget that's a great resource because there may be benefits or financial support based on a person's circumstances that they may be able to claim. Therefore, accessing the GovUK website can give access to a very useful benefits calculator to help identify that support. Lastly, I'd also recommend the Turn2Us website, which is a charity that helps people in financial hardship, to gain access to information from a range of sources, including welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services.
Speaker 2:So there is quite a lot of help out there. Perhaps you could give us a few other additional resources as well. Aj.
Speaker 3:Sure, glenn. So there are iApp services and these are talking therapies like Vitamines. There's a range of useful information on the Vitamines website, as other services out there as well, where individuals can get support for common mental health problems like anxiety, depression, which can be caused the longer financial stresses remained as well, and many services, including Vitamines, can also offer support for employment related difficulties. Local authorities and counsellors can also provide information on localised support and information, including food banks, to gain those essential food items. The money and pension service is also a great resource for help with finances. And, lastly, the ACAS website. For those people who are struggling with problems at work, acas can be a great resource over the phone or on the website to gain impartial advice and best practice.
Speaker 2:AJ, I think we've just really scratched the surface here. This is such a complex and detailed area of financial wellbeing and employment, isn't it? It is, yes, that's right. Aj Masuria is a senior employment adviser at Vita Health Group. Aj, thanks so much for joining us on today's podcast, and thank you for listening and do join us on our next podcast, won't you, aj, take care? Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to this Making People Better podcast, part of the wellbeing series from Vita Health Group. Improving your lives, physically and mentally, drives everything we do, and getting you back to doing what you love is our priority. Vita Health Group Making People Better wwwVitaHealthGroupcouk.