Karen and her husband were a team. Losing him in 2019 made everything harder for Karen, who had always found crowds and meeting new people difficult. It also made getting a job a real challenge.
Approaching new employers, and meeting their expectations – including being able to work set shift patterns made Karen anxious. Working with Dawn from Shaw Trust enabled Karen to start to rebuild her confidence and find an employer who would support her.
Together they researched roles, but initially Karen found it hard to believe in herself or her abilities. With Dawn’s help Karen identified a local employer who, like Dawn, saw Karen’s potential and was understanding of her needs. Growing in confidence Karen secured a role with the employer working four days a week on a flexible basis.
Speaking about her new employer Karen commented: “My employer is very understanding and very flexible. There is a small team of us, it is good to know there are employers who are so supportive.”
Dawn commented: “We are very pleased Karen has gained a role which suits her so well. For many of the people we support low self-esteem is the biggest barrier, working together it was great to see Karen’s confidence grow and I am sure she will go from strength to strength. There are so many good employers out there working hard to ensure their staff are well supported and grow in their roles, employers who benefit from staff who want to do a good job, are loyal and talented.”
Karen was supported by the IPES programme, contact us to find out how we can help you: https://shawtrust.org.uk/contact-us/