Work and mental health.

NJSettle

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some help/advice/ideas regarding myself and my career.

I am a 38 year old guy, with over 12 years experience as an administration manager and customer services manager in banking, but lost my job 3/4 years ago as a result of deteriorating mental health and an employer unwilling to work with me to make it work.

My record until then was good, I had always achieved well, implemented projects, new suppliers and partners etc as well as the usual recruitment/personal development/process review that goes with the kind of role I worked in. I got a couple of promotions and things looked bright.

I am so keen to get back into work but finding an employer on any scale (from big internationals to small SME businesses) who is understanding of mental health and the hurdles it entails is all but impossible.

I suffer from major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety. I'm in treatment and things are fairly stable for the moment.

I struggle with travel (to/from work or to meetings), unfamiliar environments, and the obvious issues associated with severe depression (need to be able to work from home/remotely sometimes and to be able to take sick days sometimes to recover).

I am willing to take any job in admin or CS, who can understand the issues and work with them rather than against them, I'm very flexible on hours etc and happy to work as and when works for the business, I'm very loyal and I think I'm great at what I do.

I live in and around Manchester, and I hope someone here has some ideas, help or suggestions. There are no problems only solutions afterall!

Thanks for reading.
N.

Savvy_Sue

It is tricky, because with the best will in the world an employer is recruiting for a job which needs to be done, so they're likely to favour someone who can reliably do the job. Proving that you can reliably do the job may be your biggest hurdle.

Having said that, have you looked into what organisations there are around you which work in the field of mental health support? And do any of them provide the sort of services which you could see yourself contributing to? https://www.gmcvo.org.uk/ has a jobs board (not an "I want to volunteer" board, although you may need to do some voluntary work to demonstrate reliability?) - there may be others, or it may be worth looking at The Big Issue for your area.

NJSettle

Thanks for that will take a look

I'm not homeless or anything, married, decent household income etc

Just got the itch to get back to work!

tazwhoever

NJSettle - I know you are keen to get back to work. I agree with Savvy_Sue.

Very major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety can ruin one's life. It's so sad there's no real help. I have the same problem like you after my neurosurgery and epilepsy.

I wish you the best.

yksi

I understand you wanting to be up-front and honest with potential employers and it is admirable.

I'd like to just quietly point out that you're not obligated to share this with them.

The reality is that employers can and definitely do discriminate against someone with mental health issues, indeed anyone with any issue at all requiring time off work, and they will opt for someone who will be "less hassle".

Combine those two sentences in the way that is best for you, would be my sincere advice. Get a job first, prove yourself as a valuable employee, and cross the "I need time off work" bridge later on when you get to it. It's hard enough these days just to get minimum wage admin work when you're not currently in the same industry. Give yourself the best shot.

NJSettle

Yeah I understand what you mean, but truthfully it'll become an issue at some point sooner rather than later so I'm favouring upfront honesty atm (though that may well change in short order)

Really appreciate your reply and will think on it

tattynapoly

Hello. I read your message. You are a very honest and sincere person. In our difficult times, it is difficult to remain so open. When you think about a problem for a long time, sooner or later the solution will come to you. I wish you optimism and hope for the best. With respect, Tatty.

nicechap

NJSettle wrote: »

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some help/advice/ideas regarding myself and my career.

I am a 38 year old guy, with over 12 years experience as an administration manager and customer services manager in banking, but lost my job 3/4 years ago as a result of deteriorating mental health and an employer unwilling to work with me to make it work.

My record until then was good, I had always achieved well, implemented projects, new suppliers and partners etc as well as the usual recruitment/personal development/process review that goes with the kind of role I worked in. I got a couple of promotions and things looked bright.

I am so keen to get back into work but finding an employer on any scale (from big internationals to small SME businesses) who is understanding of mental health and the hurdles it entails is all but impossible.

I suffer from major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety. I'm in treatment and things are fairly stable for the moment.

I struggle with travel (to/from work or to meetings), unfamiliar environments, and the obvious issues associated with severe depression (need to be able to work from home/remotely sometimes and to be able to take sick days sometimes to recover).

I am willing to take any job in admin or CS, who can understand the issues and work with them rather than against them, I'm very flexible on hours etc and happy to work as and when works for the business, I'm very loyal and I think I'm great at what I do.

I live in and around Manchester, and I hope someone here has some ideas, help or suggestions. There are no problems only solutions afterall!

Thanks for reading.
N.

With a 3 or 4 year break in employment I would suggest looking for agency work to show prospective employers that you are now capable of coping with the everyday demands of work. There are very few admin/ CS jobs that would allow working from home to start with, and most employers have sickness policies which (even with making reasonable adjustments) would be triggered with regular days off sick.

Did you make any contacts whilst with the bank who might take you on as a contractor for project work?

elsien

if you're looking for reasoanable adjustments to allow you to work, then you're going to have to be upfront at some point. Particularly if there's an occupational health form before you start. If you weren't going to need adjustments then sometimes it's easier to keep quiet, but an employer who only finds out there's a problem the first time you go off sick may be les willing to put themselves out than one who was prepared for the issues.

Have you thought of looking for admin work in fields related to mental health or the voluntary sector? Some of them are useless with MH but some are very accommodating.

Mental health aside, several years out of work is a bit of a red flag for any employer. Are there are voluntary roles that require your skills that would help get you up and running again? It's not all charity shops, and starting a volunteer role helped me to get my current job when I was having a bit of a career change.

MissMollyJ

Hi there

I’m wondering whether you’ve thought about starting up your own business? I have worked as an administrator for small charities on a self employed basis at home with only occasional meetings. My contracts were always hours per week and I could generally do them whenever was convenient for me. This kind of role might suit you? Have a look for “remote” and “homeworking” or “home based” jobs and check third sector or charity job websites

Hope that helps.

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

It is tricky, because with the best will in the world an employer is recruiting for a job which needs to be done, so they're likely to favour someone who can reliably do the job. Proving that you can reliably do the job may be your biggest hurdle.

Having said that, have you looked into what organisations there are around you which work in the field of mental health support? And do any of them provide the sort of services which you could see yourself contributing to? https://www.gmcvo.org.uk/ has a jobs board (not an "I want to volunteer" board, although you may need to do some voluntary work to demonstrate reliability?) - there may be others, or it may be worth looking at The Big Issue for your area.

Just to add to this, it occurred to me that some of these organisations working in the field of MH support may actually be able to give support in job-hunting and working. Worth getting in touch with any you can find, starting local and moving out ...