Tuesday 16 April 2013

still here

Thanks for everyone who left a comment on my last blog post - much appreciated.

The Short-Stuff first - we had a great day out as a family for Miss Domino's 2nd birthday - and a great (but UTTERLY EXHAUSTING) weekend of birthday celebrations.

But the thing that kind-of prompted that post was obviously my appraisal. Like I said, no-one likes that sort of thing, even without our own particular special additional requirements.

The year under dicussion began with me having a really bad relapse and being out of the office for a total of 6 weeks - admittedly trying to do bits of work for much of that time (against the advice of the MS Nurse Team, silly boy). Which is why I was so worried.

Anyway - the long-and-short of it is that I'm very lucky to work in such a supportive environment. My Boss is uniformly awkward and uncomfortable talking about disability (not just my own) - ever since I disclosed my condition on my second day working here - but he's getting better.

Since my last relapse, I've been allowed quite a lot of time out of work to attend Physio / CBT / Urologist sessions. Also since then we've put measures in place which will support me if I have a relapse and which enable me to stay connected - great, but potentially mean I will never leave work, but swings-and-roundabouts.

I know that not everyone is so lucky - not to excuse the bad-bosses, but I think some of this might be because I work in the Arts. Think about it:
  • a bit of a cliché, but people in the arts are more naturally sensitive and empathetic
  • working in the arts means that (more often than not) you're funded by Public Money - so there are more strings attached and you're under more scrutiny - it's not just some big Private Enterprise that can do what it damn well pleases
There are other aspects, too:
  • we're a small team here and we each have our own specialisms - meaning there are things that I can do which other people can't
  • I'm pretty good at my job
    (in my defence, colleagues have told me - more than once - that I need more confidence in myself. So that is me being confident - Raah! Watch Out!)
So yes  - come and work in the arts if you want to be treated right - the hours and pay are uniformly shit, there are few benefits and you have NO JOB SECURITY, but still...

4 comments:

  1. Having an understanding boss is an incredible relief. I had one(before the gov't cancelled our contract and we all got the boot) in THAT regard. In many other ways he was...challenging. But he never gave me shit for taking time for appointments or having health problems. Glad you are in a similarly supportive situation. She said, simperingly.

    Okay, sorry; got carried away w/ the alliteration.

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  2. cheers CrankyPants (seems so rude to call you that) - and as an English Graduate i appreciate all linguistic experiments in comments!

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  3. Hi there!
    So sorry to hear you've been through the mill at bit, but such a relief you're in the right working environment!
    I'm STILL trying to find a job in the charity sector, as I think they would be more receptive to having someone with an illness on their team, plus I've just studied for the last five years to gain a degree in health and social care, lol.
    Anyway, I'm pretty arty, so if you hear of any jobs in Cardiff, let me know!!
    X

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  4. i'll keep my eyes peeled but the Arts Council's Jobs listing is a good place to start http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/

    i wasn't joking when i said that the hours are long and the perks and benefits are negligible (at best)...! ;)

    beats working for a living anyway!

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