Having a diagnosis of ME/CFS or Fibromyalgia or Long Covid is not necessarily an end to engaging with activities including working. Here one of our team shares something of her personal experience of sustaining work whilst managing fatigue symptoms aswell as many accounts from past clients who have also been supported, through our specialist programmes, to re-enter work in some capacity.

In this article, Katherine Sewell, employed by Vitality360 in an HR role, shares her personal experience of returning to and sustaining work with long-term pain and fatigue symptoms. Vitality360 is a rehabilitation provider working to support people with persistent pain or fatigue to return to and/or sustain work. With her HR expertise alongside her lived experience of a chronic health condition, Katherine looks at some of the ways that HR departments/OH Providers/Employers can support people in a similar situation - including the use of activity management diaries, how to empower people considering capability vs capacity, and how to enable employees and employers to explore some of the issues collaboratively, utilising back to work planning.

What are the similarities and differences with symptoms of autistic burnout and other fatigue conditions that we see?

One of our team members shares her experiences of being autistic and having an ME/CFS diagnosis.

Known as National Sickie Day in the UK, the first Monday of every February is statistically the day when most workers are likely to call in sick, according to research first conducted by British law firm ELAS in 2011.

Experts attribute this to a combination of gloomy weather, post-holiday blues, and seasonal illnesses. What does one of our team, who is a specialist supporting people to sustain work with long term health issues, think about this?

Navigating work alongside the complexity of Long Covid is an extra burden that needs care and specialist support. Vitality360’s Beverly Knops outlines our approach in this article written for the Society of Occupational Medicine.

She highlights the importance of a personalised and flexible approach, and of using work as part of the rehabilitative process. She also discusses setback planning and not “waiting until someone is 100%” before returning to work.

Recent studies demonstrate that workplace stress continues to rise and is at record levels, which means that employee burnout with symptoms of fatigue and pain is also on the increase. Here one of our team shares her experience and what signs to look out for.

A combination of various factors such as persistent sleep disturbance, living under chronic and sustained stress and having chicken pox as an adult, all meant that one day when I was at work for Hilton Hotels I was suddenly utterly incapacitated by severe pain. On another occasion, I recall standing at the bottom of the stairs, unable to go up them as my whole body felt like lead.

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, it can also appear in other areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or romantic relationships. Here Katherine writes about her journey from a state of burnout…

#Burnout is a risk for employees given the stressors of the current economic climate. This article looks at risks & tips for employers & employees spotting the signs and preventing issues taking hold.

A combination of various factors such as persistent sleep disturbance, living under chronic and sustained stress and having chicken pox as an adult, all meant that one day when I was at work for Hilton Hotels I was suddenly utterly incapacitated by severe pain. On another occasion, I recall standing at the bottom of the stairs, unable to go up them as my whole body felt like lead.

As a colleague witnessing someone in pain, It can be very difficult knowing when to help, when not to, when to offer sympathy, when not to, when to suggest ‘it may be better if you stopped doing that and rest’ and when to let your colleague just get on with it.  

Low back pain is very common, and most people have it at some point in their lives. It affects people of all ages and all socio-economic statuses. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and the number of people affected is increasing.

I feel privileged to be part of this team – not only because I am surrounded by a huge amount of expertise and experience, but because they’re a lovely bunch of people. For two days we spent the time getting to know each other better as well as experiencing the wonderful outdoors.

We are celebrating 10 years of supporting people with ME/CFS with a team event which synchronistically coincides with ME Awareness week. Here on our team members talks about how it is to attend this event with this condition.

Be alert to the signs of #burnout, says employment lawyer. This article looks at risks & tips for employers & employees spotting the signs and preventing issues taking hold. This was written by Generali following a webinar presented by us on ‘Preventing Fatigue and Burnout’.

Returning to work following a virus or a period of long term ill health can be a daunting prospect. In this article one of our team utilises a particular model and her personal experiences to explore how it’s possible to sustain working with the support and adjustments from an employer, with a long term condition such as fatigue.

We recently ran a partnership webinar for health professionals alongside Affinity Health at work where we shared our expertise on the complexities of supporting those with post-covid-19 syndrome/long covid with returning to work. This blog is a summary of this event with some strategies utilising recent case stories and research findings on the collaborative approach that’s needed.

We recently ran a partnership webinar for health professionals alongside Affinity Health at work where we shared our expertise on the complexities of supporting those with post-covid-19 syndrome/long covid with returning to work. This blog is a summary of this event with some strategies utilising recent case stories and research findings on the collaborative approach that’s needed.

For some people, a serious virus such as COVID-19 can result in prolonged symptoms such as fatigue during recovery. This can make it very difficult to return to work in the same manner as prior to being off sick. Its vital that all activity is resumed in a gradual manner to make it sustainable during a recovery phased and this article offers ideas from our specialist Careers Consultant, on how to consider and negotiate a return to work pathway that included considerations like a phased return or flexible working for example.

This is a copy of a blog published through Generali UK as part of their wellbeing programme. It was produced following a webinar that Vitality360 did for their employees and examines the causes of burnout and what can be done to prevent it especially during this time of lockdown and remote working.