Joyce Blaikie – Traffic Liaison Officer
| Employee | Joyce Blaikie |
|---|---|
| Job | Traffic Liaison Officer |
| Sector | Manufacturing |
| Company | Ahlstrom Fiber Composites, Berwickshire |
“When I went back to work after my operation, I just picked up and carried on from where I left off”
Every year, around 40,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2006, Joyce Blaikie of Berwickshire, was one of those women. After receiving the news that she had cancer, Joyce decided that she wasn’t going to let the diagnosis rule her life. However, she had important decisions to make about medical treatment and also about her job.
After considering all her options, Joyce decided to have a mastectomy operation. She was given a time frame for recovery and used it to set a deadline for getting back to work. Eight weeks after her successful operation, Joyce was back in her job as the Traffic Liaison Officer for Ahlstrom Fiber Composites.Employer's story
As an employee who has been with the company for over two decades, Joyce’s commitment is highly valued. Her skill as a good negotiator is also recognised as is her ability to solve problems. “Joyce is very good at negotiating with companies and understands how they work” says Martin Tennant, Personnel Officer. He adds: “She’s also very hands on and gets things done. If there’s a problem, she knows how to sort it out.”
When Joyce was on sick leave, her post was covered on a temporary basis by another member of staff. Her phased return to work was managed by the personnel office. “It’s part of what we do to help staff with health problems get back to work” says Martin. “We also work closely with occupational health specialists who help us implement changes or adjustments as necessary to help staff.”
Personalised approach
The company also offers a confidential health line service so that employees can talk to a nursing officer about their health problems if they wish. Martin says: “We’re always looking at what we can do to improve our practice to support staff who have health problems.” No specific adjustments had to be made for Joyce after she returned to work. As with all employees, her case was dealt with on an individual basis and her health needs were considered in the context of her work. This flexible, ‘personalised’ approach to dealing with employee’s health problems works well says Martin and helps the company maintain productivity levels.
Message to other employers
“You have to take each case on merit and recognise that quite often employees with serious illnesses are going through a stressful time in addition to their illness. As employers, we want to do whatever we can to help our employees and we find our flexible approach works.”
Martin Tennant, Personnel Officer, Ahlstrom Fiber Composites
Employee's story
Before she was diagnosed with cancer, Joyce enjoyed good health. The diagnosis was she admits, both a ‘mental and physical blow’. Nevertheless, she was determined to get on with the rest of her life. That included getting on with her job. As the company’s Traffic Liaison Officer, Joyce manages the ‘logistics’ of transporting company products across the UK and Europe. The company specialises in manufacturing high performance fibre-based materials, nonwovens and specialty papers which are used in everyday products such as teabags, wipes and tapes. Joyce is also responsible for processing invoices, organising shipments of products across the continent and ensuring the company complies with Customs and Excise regulations.
Knowing in advance when she was going to take sick leave for her operation and recovery time, enabled Joyce and her managers to make plans for her absence. For example, four weeks before her operation, Joyce trained another member of staff to carry out some of the tasks that are very specific to her role. She says: “When I was off sick, I was also on the end of the phone line so that I could deal with queries from the colleague who was covering my job. That was my choice and I was happy to help out.”
Getting back to her normal life
Joyce made a phased return to work and gradually increased her hours from ‘short’ days to full time hours. She says: “It was quite tiring to begin with but I kept at it. I just wanted to live as normal a life as possible.” For Joyce, getting back to her ‘normal’ life included her voluntary work as a fundraiser for a local branch of Macmillan Cancer Support and also for a breast cancer charity.
As a cancer survivor and dedicated employee, Joyce speaks with conviction about how she was able to get back to normal work life. She says: “You have to be determined not to let your health problems get you down. You have to stay positive and you have to stay focussed.”
