Juggling children and work is never easy. But one mum has it down to a fine art, thanks to her positive attitude and the support and flexibility of her employer, Bluebird Care.
Jayne Stephens always wanted a big family and has an impressive ten children! The five girls and five boys are aged between 27 and 6. Some of the older ones have now left home, and Jayne also has three grandchildren aged 9, 6 and 3, to keep her on her toes.
Despite the demands of such a large family, Jayne has spent the last 20 years working as a Carer. She currently works 5 days a week for Bluebird Care Barnet, looking after people with dementia and other needs.
It's an inspiring story and Jayne is passionate about her job. But the 46-year-old single mum admits it's only possible because of the way Bluebird Care looks after its staff as well as its customers.
She says: ''Work have been brilliant in letting me fit my hours around the kids. I'm so lucky that they are so flexible.''
Thanks to the company's family friendly policies, Jayne is able to drop her children at school, then work until it's time to pick them up again. It means she doesn't have to pay for extra childcare and she also gets to spend weekends at home.
According to the Director of Bluebird Care Barnet, Larry Berkowitz, it's all part of the ethos. He says: ''We strive to provide a lovely and supportive working environment and an understanding culture where carers aren't afraid to call in if their children are sick.''
Mr Berkowitz also stresses that Bluebird Care Barnet only employs Carers who live in the borough and that all customers and Carers are within a short distance of each other. He says: ''A lot of carers walk, or catch a bus with just a few stops to their customers as it so close to where they live which is one of the reasons we have been so successful at recruiting and retaining good Carers.''
This means that employees like Jayne don't have to spend unnecessary amounts of time travelling to and from work.
It's just part of the reason Jayne loves her job. And she says there's nothing else she'd rather do.
''Looking after people with dementia can be challenging at times but they are lovely and it's so rewarding just being with them and being able to put a smile on their faces. I've always loved caring for people. I cared for my dad before he died and knew it was what I wanted to do. I could never work in a shop or anything!''
Jayne's busy schedule means she's up at 5am every morning, sorting out school uniforms, getting breakfast, making packed lunches and ensuring everyone is organised for the day ahead. After a full day juggling work and family, Jayne admits she's in bed by 9.30pm most evenings.
But she insists she wouldn't change a thing. Working for Bluebird Care means she is able to support her family without having to rely on benefits, while at the same time providing a valuable and rewarding service in the community.
Mr Berkowitz is full of praise for his employee. He says: ''Not only does Jayne juggle being a Carer with being a mother, but she is brilliant at both. Her children are respectful and have high values, good manners, kindness and decency and this is all due to Jayne. Jayne holds all of these values herself and is an extremely selfless person who always looks after her customers like family.''
What's more, one of Jayne's children, 19-year-old Kirsty, is now following in her mother’s footsteps and has also become a Carer with Bluebird. What better recommendation than that.
Monday 22 February 2016
Tuesday 16 February 2016
Building a house is like giving birth
I was pregnant during the time we were renovating our house. We bought it cheap and in its original condition, it was an old semi-detached which had been converted into two flats and needed to be converted back into a house. It was a funny looking thing with a kitchen on the second floor and the narrowest hallway I had ever seen, although it could have been that I was so wide due to my pregnancy that it just seemed that way.
I was determined to complete the works before giving birth and thankfully my work place Bluebird Care Barnet were so accommodating and allowed me to work flexible hours and complete the work before I had my baby.
At first we found an architect we really liked and who was recommended to us by a friend. The architect was in charge of submitting all the plans to the council once we agreed on a design and she gave us a list of builders to choose from which was obviously the next big decision we had to make. Luckily our neighbour at the time was a builder himself so he was able to give us lots of tips on how to choose a builder and what to put in the contract.
At first we hired a project manager to oversee the works, but as the architect was so involved and, as I discovered I had a natural talent and love for project management, I soon became the sole person in charge of the project and all its aspects. I was helping a very lovely lady through my work at Bluebird Care at the time and she loved it when I showed her all the options and designs we were considering.
For me, the best moments were when I had to choose the items that would cover the walls and surfaces and give my house it’s personality, like the light fittings and wall colour and kitchen fittings etc. I am proud to say that I handpicked every single item in my house from the tiles to the timber boards that assembled my decking.
We also had some setbacks like when our neighbour objected to our plans for a raised deck and we had to let go of our dream of having doors opening out from our kitchen onto a deck overlooking the garden. We eventually managed to reach a compromise that allowed us to carry on with the works after making some changes to the design.
Nearly one year after we started the process we moved into our new house. The baby was born a few months earlier and we were so happy with the nursery we set up for him. I chose the curtains from a little independent shop in Notting Hill when I was just walking about one day with a friend and fell in love with it. Every time I walk into his room I am reminded of that day and it makes me smile.
I love our new wide corridor which we achieved by moving one of the walls in the house and our boy, who just turned two, loves racing up and down that corridor pushing his toy trucks. I often think to myself what a good decision it was to move that wall and give up a few more centimetres of room space and have such a nice and wide hallway.
It was amazing to see it all come together. Much like pregnancy, it had its ups and downs and moments when we thought we would not be able to achieve what we wanted, but in the end we got to take home a beautiful baby which will make us happy for the rest of our lives.
I feel so fortunate to have been able to do this and I know that my workplace played a big role. My direct manager Larry Berkowitz and the rest of the team at Bluebird Care Barnet were so supportive of me during that year, I could never have done it without their help and understanding.
I was determined to complete the works before giving birth and thankfully my work place Bluebird Care Barnet were so accommodating and allowed me to work flexible hours and complete the work before I had my baby.
At first we found an architect we really liked and who was recommended to us by a friend. The architect was in charge of submitting all the plans to the council once we agreed on a design and she gave us a list of builders to choose from which was obviously the next big decision we had to make. Luckily our neighbour at the time was a builder himself so he was able to give us lots of tips on how to choose a builder and what to put in the contract.
At first we hired a project manager to oversee the works, but as the architect was so involved and, as I discovered I had a natural talent and love for project management, I soon became the sole person in charge of the project and all its aspects. I was helping a very lovely lady through my work at Bluebird Care at the time and she loved it when I showed her all the options and designs we were considering.
For me, the best moments were when I had to choose the items that would cover the walls and surfaces and give my house it’s personality, like the light fittings and wall colour and kitchen fittings etc. I am proud to say that I handpicked every single item in my house from the tiles to the timber boards that assembled my decking.
We also had some setbacks like when our neighbour objected to our plans for a raised deck and we had to let go of our dream of having doors opening out from our kitchen onto a deck overlooking the garden. We eventually managed to reach a compromise that allowed us to carry on with the works after making some changes to the design.
Nearly one year after we started the process we moved into our new house. The baby was born a few months earlier and we were so happy with the nursery we set up for him. I chose the curtains from a little independent shop in Notting Hill when I was just walking about one day with a friend and fell in love with it. Every time I walk into his room I am reminded of that day and it makes me smile.
I love our new wide corridor which we achieved by moving one of the walls in the house and our boy, who just turned two, loves racing up and down that corridor pushing his toy trucks. I often think to myself what a good decision it was to move that wall and give up a few more centimetres of room space and have such a nice and wide hallway.
It was amazing to see it all come together. Much like pregnancy, it had its ups and downs and moments when we thought we would not be able to achieve what we wanted, but in the end we got to take home a beautiful baby which will make us happy for the rest of our lives.
I feel so fortunate to have been able to do this and I know that my workplace played a big role. My direct manager Larry Berkowitz and the rest of the team at Bluebird Care Barnet were so supportive of me during that year, I could never have done it without their help and understanding.
Monday 8 February 2016
The perks of carers working for Bluebird Care
Free health cover for carers and their children, working hours, distance to customer’s houses.
Whenever, anybody of us plans to start a new job, we always think of the benefits that the company provides or planning to deliver to the new employees. The ones that are quite far away from the workplace usually considers the benefits more than the ones living nearby the office.
When it comes to delivering the home care and support services, it is sometimes really challenging for the new employees to provide services in this field in a consistent manner since each patient’s mental and physical health varies from the other. Retaining the employees in such a sector is normally difficult for the business owners. This goal can only be achieved by providing certain perks to the newcomers. But not all the businesses have enough resources to provide these incentives.
While searching for a job, I came to know about the Bluebird Care Barnet that provides home care and support services to the older citizens (above the age of 65) and youngsters (below the age of 18 years). At the start, it was apparently looking difficult to me to serve the patients that are suffering from Alzheimer’s, dementia, spinal, arthritis and physical disability. But later on, I got to know that it is only a matter of understanding the patient’s mental state, a way of thinking and an attitude.
In the Bluebird Care, I came to realise how such companies benefit their staff members in numerous ways. Like in the Bluebird Care Barnet, my kids and I have been provided free health insurance, just like the other carers are enjoying. When we are assigned a task to deliver services to the particular patient, the pick and drop services are provided by the company to whatever distance is to the customer’s house. Likewise, the employees are given flexible working hours since sometimes we have to work more with the patients, depending upon their condition and commitment.
I have really enjoyed working with the Bluebird Care. This has given me a whole new experience of serving the humanity in an entirely new way.
Whenever, anybody of us plans to start a new job, we always think of the benefits that the company provides or planning to deliver to the new employees. The ones that are quite far away from the workplace usually considers the benefits more than the ones living nearby the office.
When it comes to delivering the home care and support services, it is sometimes really challenging for the new employees to provide services in this field in a consistent manner since each patient’s mental and physical health varies from the other. Retaining the employees in such a sector is normally difficult for the business owners. This goal can only be achieved by providing certain perks to the newcomers. But not all the businesses have enough resources to provide these incentives.
While searching for a job, I came to know about the Bluebird Care Barnet that provides home care and support services to the older citizens (above the age of 65) and youngsters (below the age of 18 years). At the start, it was apparently looking difficult to me to serve the patients that are suffering from Alzheimer’s, dementia, spinal, arthritis and physical disability. But later on, I got to know that it is only a matter of understanding the patient’s mental state, a way of thinking and an attitude.
In the Bluebird Care, I came to realise how such companies benefit their staff members in numerous ways. Like in the Bluebird Care Barnet, my kids and I have been provided free health insurance, just like the other carers are enjoying. When we are assigned a task to deliver services to the particular patient, the pick and drop services are provided by the company to whatever distance is to the customer’s house. Likewise, the employees are given flexible working hours since sometimes we have to work more with the patients, depending upon their condition and commitment.
I have really enjoyed working with the Bluebird Care. This has given me a whole new experience of serving the humanity in an entirely new way.
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