Lived Experience Forum

[suzanne]

Hi everyone

I'm working with a client on an advocacy piece around telework at the moment.  The current work safety legislation makes it more difficult for employers to support their employees to work from home.  It seems to put unnecessary obstacles in the way of a situation that can be really beneficial for some. 

I'm thinking about people with conditions that make access and contribution within the traditional workplace more difficult.  It could be Autism Spectrum Disorder, a physical disability or a mental illness that makes emotional regulation and focus within an office more difficult.

Not everyone is in an occupation that suits telework.  But for those who are, we are trying to make it easier to access this arrangement.  It should make a productive working life more accessible which can be an important part of health and wellness.  And it should also be advantageous for employers by bringing a wealth of skill and knowledge back to the workplace that is not currently being harnessed.

I'm really interested to hear if this issue affects any of you or your loved ones.  Is telework an option that could be useful for you?  Have you had any experience in trying to establish this arrangement with an employer?  And if so, how did that go?

Thank you

[Former-Member]

This isnt quite telework, but at a previous place that I worked my boss there helped me to set up my weekly schedule so that I could leave at lunch time one day each week and I completed the work/time in my own way from home. This boss was very flexible and supportive arranging things to work best for individual people and knew that I was struggling wtih certain things. Even only a very small part of my work could be done this way it enabled me to cope better at the time and facilitated my access to other supports as well.

[oldtrauma]

I had no problem setting it up as it suited my employer to not have to find a physical space for me and I have reliable highspeed internet access. Most universities have quite a number of sessional academic and research support staff who work from home, and it appears to be allowed at the discretion of the employing academic. One has to complete all the usual mandatory online training (fire and safety, workplace relations and communication, etc.) If you know anyone working in a university they would probably be able to be of assistance.

I have worked from home for a number of years and find it to be a two-edged sword to be honest. However, I'm aware that that's not what you are looking at at the moment. I am happy to discuss the problems I have faced at a later time if it is an area of interest.

[suzanne]

Thanks for your response @oldtrauma.  Interesting to hear that it's so common in academia.  It sounds like they've set up some systems so that they are compliant within the legislation.  In my own field I've had access to homeworking at times but more from a 'let's pretend there isn't relevant legislation so we don't have to comply' perspective. 

I'd be interested to hear about your experiences even if it's not directly related to our advocacy work.

[suzanne]

I'm pleased to hear that there are bosses like this out there @Former-Member.  Ideally we would like to have access to these sorts of arrangements become more normalised and supported so that it's not so hit and miss. 

Can I ask, was it a response to disclosing your struggles or something that was widely accessed throughout the organisation?

[oldtrauma]

Thanks Suzanne. I'm happy to discuss it with you. Is this forum the appropriate place, or would email or phone be better?

[Former-Member]

Hi @suzanne , No its definitely not widely accessed in my field generally and no other boss/site since has been very accommodating of any suggestions or needs due to MI (even when put forward by mental health support worker who attended meetings with me around a year ago now though).
Yes, the original afternoon arrangement came about from me disclosing how I was struggling in different ways.

[suzanne]

And there's the rub @Former-Member.  It's currently all down to individual advocacy and decision making.  I'm a manager myself so I really do understand that there are all sorts of operational issues to be considered.  But when a team member has valuable skills but is struggling to maintain their workload, it's both smart and compassionate to be more accommodating.  Without that there is the potential to lose those skills entirely.  This is what we're seeking to change.

Thanks for joining the discussion 🙂

[suzanne]

Either here or by email @oldtrauma.  Whichever you'd prefer.  If it's via email can you send it to team@saneforums.org and address it to me.

Thank you.

[oldtrauma]

I decided to email and have just sent it.