Sharon Stephenson – Administration Executive

“Now that I’m working, I have more focus to get up in the morning.  Doing nothing can be soul destroying”

Sharon Stephenson, 46, of Bradford is a great believer in positive thinking and believes that it has helped her cope with a chronic illness. Sharon has fibromyalgia, that is usually characterised by musculoskeletal aches, pains, fatigue and tiredness.  Like many conditions, fibromyalgia affects people in different ways. In Sharon’s case she is in constant pain and her mobility is limited.

After being unable to work for ten years, Sharon welcomed the opportunity to return to work. She was offered a job as a Sales Administration Executive for Bradford Bulls Rugby League Club which involves selling corporate hospitality. She admits that getting back into the routine of work hasn’t been easy. “After the first six months, I was ready to give up work” says Sharon, “because my pain was getting worse”. However, Sharon persevered and was determined to make a success of her job.

Positive thinking

Sharon accepts that positive thinking would not help everybody who has fibromyalgia but she is convinced that in her case, it enabled her to not only return to work, but to work her way up from working part time hours to working full time. She said: “I went back to work because I felt that I had a life in front of me. I also felt that I had to rule my illness rather than let it rule me”. Sharon knows that there is no cure for her illness but is determined to continue working.

Employer's story

Like most businesses supporting sports teams, Bradford Bulls Rugby League Club, is not short of a ready pool of willing candidates for jobs. “We probably receive about five requests per week for jobs” says Human Resources Manager Jane Wilson-Hall. Staff turnover is low at the club and the supply of candidates for jobs far exceeds the demand for new employees. However, being popular with job hunters has not diminished the club’s commitment to diversity and to recruiting and retaining talented people. 

Jane Wilson-Hall said: “The adjustments we made to support Sharon probably cost us no more than about £150. The costs were not prohibitive.  If Sharon left us, we would have to spend much more money to recruit somebody else.”

Flexible working

Adjustments for other employees who have returned to work after illness or accidents include allowing them to have flexible working patterns. Jane has an open door policy for staff and encourages them to talk about any problems including health problems that may affect their work.

Employee's story

Sharon admits that it took time to adjust to the demands and routine of work. As far as physical adjustments at work are concerned, these have been very few. The main adjustment was to her phone which has been adapted so that Sharon can use a headset instead of a standard handset. The flexible work patterns that are available within the club mean that Sharon can adjust her start and finish times as needed. If she feels unwell she can also take a break and make up her hours later.

Challenges of working
Sharon is getting used to the challenges of working in a busy sales environment. She is making good use of her administrative skills and developing new skills in selling corporate hospitality.

Looking back to 1995, the year she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and had to give up work, Sharon says that being unable to work left her feeling that she was on, what she calls, the ‘scrap heap’. Through sheer determination however, she has gradually worked her way back to being successfully employed in a job she enjoys with a future to look forward to.

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