Irene Erwell – Financial Controller

“I was brought up to believe that if you are fit to work, then you should work”

It is a widely acknowledged fact that a significant part of the population has a fear of working with numbers. Not so for Financial Controller Irene Erwell. For Irene, working with figures is one of the best aspects of her job. In 2007 Irene’s expertise was officially recognised when she received a nomination for a ‘Best Accountant’ award.

Irene works at the historic New Bath Hotel in the heart of the Peak District in Derbyshire. She has no visible signs of disability or illness but works full time in spite of living with two long term health conditions – diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver.

Employer's story

General Manager Mark Fletcher, knows all about the importance of knowledge and skills. He arrived in his management role from an earlier career as a chef. He brought transferable skills and qualities to his role and looks for qualities and skills when he recruits new staff. “It’s about the end product – it’s about what the person you recruit can actually produce and do for you as a company” he says.

Mark sees the contribution Irene makes as an employee in the overall context of what the hotel achieves as a whole, such contribution was acknowledged when the hotel won an award for being the best hotel within the Brooks group of hotels in 2007.

Valuable work

Irene worked at the hotel before Mark arrived but as her manager he recognises the value of her work as Financial Controller. “Although it’s essentially an office based role, Irene doesn’t restrict herself to staying in the office but is out and about in the hotel, checking floats, carrying out audits and other tasks” says Mark. He adds: “She’s also reliable and consistent which are important qualities for her role. Her years of experience and familiarity with the hotel and with financial systems are also important.”

Mark is aware of Irene’s health conditions but other than being kept informed of her hospital appointments, doesn’t have to make any particular adjustments.

Employee's story

Eight years ago when Irene went for a routine blood test, she wasn’t expecting to be told that she had diabetes. She’d noticed that she’d been getting increasingly thirsty but thought it was something to do with a recent holiday she’d had. “It came as quite a shock” says Irene. “Diabetes isn’t in the family so it wasn’t something I thought would ever affect me.” A few years later, Irene had another shock when she went for a blood test and was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.

The effects of Irene’s health conditions on her ability to work are minimal she says. Her diabetes is controlled with medication. She has to check her blood sugar levels twice a day and make sure that she eats regularly. Meanwhile, her liver condition is monitored through six monthly tests at her local hospital. “Mark is a supportive manager so if I need any time off work for appointments, it’s not a problem but I do try to arrange appointments in the evening if I can, to avoid missing work.”

Professional development

Irene has worked full time at the hotel for the last 15 years and finds a lot of satisfaction in her job. As accounts work has become more computerised, she has developed her professional competence by attending courses to learn how to use business accounts software.

Irene’s job includes chasing up outstanding debts and this is an aspect of her job that she finds both challenging and satisfying. She says: “I enjoy it when I finally resolve a debt and get the money in that’s owed to the company. It’s good to actually see the results of my work.”

Although Irene lives with two fairly serious health conditions, she finds that work actually helps her to cope. She says: “The hotel is a good place to work and when you’re at work, you can forget about your problems because you’re mixing with people.” She adds: “I consider myself fortunate because although I have diabetes and a liver problem I can still work.”

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•