Julie Sumner – Accounts Secretary

“Whilst I was still able to work, I wanted to work”

Back pain is the nation’s leading cause of disability according to the charity BackCare. Julie Sumner is one of the millions of people who have been affected by the condition and has lived with persistent back pain for many years. However, things took a turn for the worst in 2008 when X-rays showed that her persistent back pain was a symptom of severe osteoarthritis in her right hip. Julie was advised to have a hip replacement operation.

Up until her operation, Julie chose to continue working even though it meant having to make adjustments to the way she worked. Six weeks after a successful operation, she was back in her post as Accounts Secretary at Nickerson-Advanta Ltd in Lincolnshire.

Employer's story

In the early stages of her illness, Julie was given time off from work to attend physiotherapy classes. Later on when she was told that she needed to have an operation, she kept the personnel office at the company informed about her hospital appointments and the estimated time for recovery. Although managers recommended that Julie stay at home until her operation, they fully supported her decision to continue working. They also made adjustments to ensure Julie was physically able to do her job. For example, when Julie found moving around the offices difficult, the company hired a wheelchair for her.

Personnel Officer, Sandra Hatt, believes that open communication between managers and their staff ensures that health problems can be successfully managed in such a way that neither the employee nor the employer is disadvantaged. Sandra knew in advance about Julie’s operation and estimated return to work date, so was able to make arrangements for a temporary worker from a recruitment agency to provide cover for Julie’s absence.

Managers at the company strive to be both responsive and supportive when dealing with employees who have health problems. Sandra believes that caring for staff who have health problems and promoting good employee health makes good business sense. She says: “We want our employees to be healthy because ultimately, that means they are able to work.” Well women clinics and flu vaccinations are just some of the initiatives that have been implemented at the company to promote better employee health.

Employee's story

Julie has worked at Nickerson-Advanta, a plant breeding company, for about 14 years so when she was on sick leave her absence was noticed. As the Accounts Secretary Julie has a variety of responsibilities which include processing accounts, managing the post room and supporting other accounts staff.

As she struggled to work in spite of her pain, which wasn’t just limited to her back but started to affect her limbs, Julie tried regular exercise and medication to try and ease her pain. Once her condition had been diagnosed, she felt some relief in knowing that there was a strong chance that her health would improve after her operation. Even so, colleagues and friends were amazed that she continued working although she was in pain and had limited mobility.

‘Why don’t you just stay home?’ was the question many friends and colleagues asked when they found out Julie intended to carry on working up until her operation. She explains: “The truth is, I was better off at work than at home. If I’d stayed at home, I would have been all on my own during the day. I actually had more practical support at work than I would have had at home.”

After her operation, Julie’s recovery was swift. This was partly due to her age. Most hip replacement patients are much older than Julie so having the operation whilst still in her fifties was better for her recovery. Julie also did what she could to help herself and used her walking sticks as advised and regularly carried out exercises as instructed by her surgeon.

Three weeks after her operation Julie felt strong enough to visit colleagues at work. And three weeks after that, she was no longer a visitor, but was back at her desk as a fully mobile employee – without the wheelchair. She says: “Once the doctor said I was okay to go back to work, that was it – I was back at work.”

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