Denise's story continued...

The job that greeted Denise was substantial. A mountain of filing needed to be addressed and Denise was the person asked to take this on. As she began to get to grips with the problem and progress started to be made, she could tell that she was making a positive difference to the team with whom she worked. Denise was inundated by messages of support and appreciation from the team that had previously suffered under this backlog of filing. They were heartily relieved to see the backlog starting to reduce and this appreciation and support has helped Denise to feel very strongly that she is a valued and important member of the team.

The support given to her by her manager has been excellent from the outset and she has been welcomed by the team with open arms. The confidence shown in her by everyone reinforces her feeling that she is doing a good job and she is determined to work through the backlog until it is cleared completely.

So what does the future hold for Denise? Well, currently she feels secure and happy in her work. Money is coming in and bills are being paid. Her overall wellbeing has improved significantly and in her own words she is now ‘coming up the other side'. But defeating a backlog of filing is only part of what Denise wants to achieve in her work. She feels that she is now ready to try to fulfil her greater potential and to take on more challenging roles. This potential has obviously been recognised by those that work with her as she is being encouraged already to apply for other internal roles within the Trust.

Denise's story demonstrates the beneficial effects that employment can bring. In addition to alleviating any financial worries, a person's general wellbeing can improve enormously through the feeling of being part of a team, of contributing to a common goal, and the increase in self-esteem brought about by doing a good job. Denise has shown that in just a short period of employment, horizons can be opened up, and ambition and self-confidence can return.