Benefits of Working
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From a Stroke Foundation Return to Work Advisor
What first springs when you think about work? Take a second and see what you come up with - other than money!
Below we'll explore 5 key benefits. How many of the benefits below did you come up with?
Sense of community: Work can provide a sense of community and give people a sense of connectedness to their colleagues and workplace. Connection with others can lead to a stronger sense of self, increased confidence, and sense of belonging - and even an improved immune system!
Developing new skills: Working allows the opportunity to learn and develop skills. Challenging yourself to learn new skills at work builds resilience, sustains motivation, and is good for your brain.
Provides structure, routine and purpose: Structure gives a sense of familiarity and can ground you. Some studies have shown that a sense of purpose can have positive benefits in how you respond to stress and even help you live longer.
Feelings of accomplishment: Essentially – feeling proud! Feeling proud is great for our self-esteem and overall wellbeing. Celebrating big and smalls wins is important, and the workplace is a great place to do this.
Financial Stability: Money is important to people for many different reasons – not just paying the bills! Financial stability can provide feelings of comfort and security.
Volunteering
Volunteering is also very meaningful and rewarding - both for yourself and for society. In fact, most of the key benefits discussed above can also directly relate to volunteering.
Some stroke survivors may also volunteer whilst looking for paid work. This can help build work stamina and allow opportunity to connect with others in your local community and lead to an increase in happiness.
Volunteer benefits are plentiful! If you want more information on volunteering and the many benefits you can visit: https://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/
Return to Work Service
The Stroke Foundation Return to Work Service is a specialised service designed to support stroke survivors back into the workplace. We can work with you to identify your return-to-work goals, generate a return-to-work plan, support you to implement the plan in your workplace and then monitor your progress offering support every step of the way.
Our team can:
- Provide stroke specific support and guidance to help you to plan your return to work.
- Discuss any challenges or barriers you feel you may be facing and offer practical solutions.
- Liaise with your employer to provide guidance on how best to support you in your workplace.
- Confidently answer any questions you have in relation to returning to work.
Because we deliver this service on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development, we need to follow their eligibility criteria. This means we can provide this service for people aged 17-64 who are NZ Citizens or permanent residents.
Please reach out if you are interested in this service - we are here to support you at any stage of your recovery. Email us at help@stroke.org.nz or call us on 0800 78 76 53 (0800 STROKE).