WorkWise - The Employment Support
Co-ordination Service for Dorset

The Employment Support Co-ordination (ESC) programme is part of a national focus on helping people with common mental health problems to remain in work or to regain the confidence to gain the skills to return to working life.

Research shows that being in work can have enormous benefits for people with mild to moderate mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and phobias. The Dorset Mental Health Forum and primary care mental health services are working in partnership to support adults:

• Needing help to keep their job
• Wanting to return to work
• Thinking about training for a job

How does it work?

A dedicated team of ESCs has been appointed to work with primary care mental health services, employers and individuals throughout Dorset.

The service includes:

• Information and advice
• Support
• Signposting
• Referral
• Training

Who is the service aimed at?

The service is initially aimed at those people who are either.

• In work but struggling to remain there due to their condition and/or issues with their employment or employer
• Are in therapy and at a stage where they are ready to consider a return to some sort of employment or training

To qualify for support from the service the client must be:

• Registered with the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service
• 18+ years old

And any of the following:

• Looking for advice and assistance in regard to a return to work at the end of a period of sick leave
• Out of work but motivated and able to consider a return to work
• Considering a change of employment
• Considering training

Referral Process

Any referral to the WorkWise Employment Support Service must be made through the IAPT service.

Are you an Employer?

As you probably know, the Equalities Act says that people with disabilities must not be disadvantaged either at work or in searching for work. A mental health problem may, in some instances, be regarded as a disability. And since one in four people will experience a mental health problem in their life, the chances are that a member of your staff may need help at some time.

...would you know how to spot it?
...would you know how to handle it?

The reality is that by knowing how to be aware of difficulties early on, you can support a member of staff to recover more quickly and even continue to work efficiently.

By helping them, you can help your business with:

• Reduced sickness absence
• Increased productivity/performance
• Better staff retention
• Improved staff morale
• Increased staff loyalty
• A health-friendly reputation

Do you work in primary mental health care services?

If so, we are available to work with you to help facilitate the recovery process of:

• People in work and struggling
• People on statutory or employer sick pay
• People claiming out of work welfare benefits

By working with you we can provide expert advice on early and swift access to employment options, focusing on wellbeing and recovery.

Our ESCs can offer:

• Knowledge of a range of effective and accessible work related information and advice tailored to individual needs
• Links to Jobcentre Plus, Stepping Stones, local training providers, educational opportunities and community and peer support groups.

Testimonial

“Normally a happy person and very successful after 10 years in my job, I suffered a breakdown and became very ill with work-related stress and depression. This was a result of a long-term campaign of bullying and exclusion by several colleagues, two of whom were managers. The company was unsympathetic when I raised the issue many times and closed ranks against me when I became ill, stopping my sick pay almost immediately and starting a formal grievance procedure while I was too ill to cope.

Unsurprisingly, the internal investigation of the company by the company denied that I had been bullied, but even knowing how ill I was, they did not see fit to top there. They made all sorts of scurrilous accusations against me. They made one of the bullies my boss, then demanded that I sit in a meeting with the bullies, apologise to them all and let them have open season on me. They gave me less than 36 hours to produce evidence to lodge an appeal against this finding. There is clearly no room for humanity in business!

In absolute desperation, I called WorkWise and was amazed by their response. Ailsa Miller somehow found time to visit me in the short time before the grievance appeal. Ailsa immediately put me at ease. It made a huge difference to speak to someone who understood what I was going through. Sadly, Ailsa has first-hand experience of the terrible distress that bullying can cause, but is inspiring, living proof that there is a way to survive it and reach a positive outcome.

Ailsa was able to offer practical advice as well as a sympathetic ear. She explained my options, the process involved if I wanted to take the company to an industrial tribunal and how to fund legal representation through household insurance, which was very helpful since my pay had been stopped.

Despite the short notice, Ailsa offered to attend the appeal hearing to represent me and give moral support, since the presence of an impartial party can often change the tone of a meeting. Ailsa also helped me to compile some compelling evidence against the unreasonable behaviour of the company. My meeting with Ailsa left me feeling much less overwhelmed and very much more positive. At last, someone was on my side!

Thankfully, it never came to the appeal. This whole process had taken nearly four months of my life. Waking up from a nightmare every day; I just wanted it to stop. On many occasions, I had considered just walking away. Due to the intervention of Ailsa and WorkWise, at least I did not walk away empty handed. Following submission of the evidence for the appeal, the company offered a compromise agreement - a payment made in return for terminating my employment and a legally binding contract not to take them to tribunal.

Although I have lost my job unfairly, due to victimisation, I think that I achieved the best possible outcome. Management clearly had no intention of addressing the bullying - it was easier to push a loyal employee out than to deal with the issue - so a return to work was not feasible. At least with the intervention of WorkWise, I am removed from an abusive workplace, which made me ill, have some money to live on while I search for work and have on-going support if I need it.

I am extremely grateful for the help that I received, both practical and pastoral and could not rate WorkWise or Ailsa highly enough!”

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