I’ve always had a real passion for health and wellbeing, I was a nurse for 35 years before joining Viva and was sometimes shocked by how little health care professionals knew about the state of their own mental and physical health suffering burnout before they realised they needed to stop. (myself included!)

‍

It’s been great to be able to focus all my attention on how best to look after people, it’s also been a real privilege to work with such a motivated and engaged team. Tony, the MD (who is also my husband!) has really impressed me by his willingness to go the extra mile for his employees. He has been happy to adopt new ways of working and platforms, like Juno, to support them. My unofficial title is Head of Happiness, you can’t get a better job than that, can you?

‍

I strongly believe that, with the right support, people will bring the best of themselves to work. It’s surprising how sometimes small changes can make a big difference to somebody’s happiness. Usually, it’s a bit of understanding that’s needed not the big bucks that people assume.

‍

My experience told me that people can be utterly miserable at work because of a lack of recognition for what they do every day. However, efforts made by managers can backfire and demoralise if they are the wrong thing. I read that no reward is better than the wrong reward. I was determined not to fall into the “one size fits nobody” trap.  The team here have a range of interests from canoeing to jewellery making, woodworking and calligraphy. Juno was perfect as Tony could set the budget himself and we weren’t tied to a set range of rewards so we could all support our local causes. We particularly liked the way that points can be donated to other people, and it’s been lovely to see that happen.

‍

During the pandemic, NHS staff were deeply moved by the nationwide support we got but business leaders have battled through some terrifying times suffering near collapse of their worlds. Seeing my husband go through this made me want to help him in any way I could. Thankfully, we are now seeing a real engagement with mental and physical health but it’s important to remember the whole team, including those at the top because they may be brilliant business leaders but they’re not psychiatrists or therapists.

‍

The saddest thing for me was that when we set up the Juno account making sure that Tony got the points too, he couldn’t think of anything to spend them on. He’d been so absorbed in keeping the business going, he hadn’t done much else for such a long time.

‍

I’m pleased to say he’s over that now and starting to enjoy his points!