VRA Standards Of Practice
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Two days at the Health & Wellbeing Conference
A big thank you to everyone who came along to the VRA's sessions or visited us on the exhibition stand at the recent Health and Wellbeing @ Work event. The VRA has been involved with the event for a number of years now and we always encourage members to get involved. This year we asked Katya Halsall to us how she found being a speaker at the event. If you are interested in speaking at future events do let us know as each year we do suggest a number of speakers.
It has only been a few days since the last Health and Wellbeing at Work conference at the Birmingham NEC and thememories of the event are still fresh in my mind.
I attend the conference every year and every year the exhibition hall and presentation suites are buzzing with likeminded people – Human Resources practitioners, Occupational Health advisors, Vocational Consultants and Case Managers. This conference is attended by those who want to learn more about promoting health in the workplace or to update their existing knowledge on good workplace practices and industry news. The topics throughout the two days cover a wide range of issues, including employment law and vocational rehabilitation as well as safety in the workplace and updates on government initiatives. People come from all over the UK, as well as Europe, thanks to the convenient location of the NEC.
As usual, the exhibition hall was filled with stands of various service providers and products displays, with sweeties and freebies available at almost every stand. Resilience and yoga workshops were going on throughout the event for those who wanted to take part or learn new skills. As a networking opportunity, this event is second to none.
I always enjoy the conference, however, this one was very different for me because for the first time I was invited there to speak. What an honour it was to see my name on the conference programme, just one year to the day since I had started my own Vocational Rehabilitation business.
My presentation was to be about managing recurring sickness absence and I spent hours and hours in preparation, putting it all together. Chopping and changing, writing and re-writing - it took over my life! I practiced relentlessly... And then I spent almost as much time agonising about which shoes I should wear on the day.
Looking back, I think about the experience as a speaker with a smile on my face. My presentation was in the afternoon of the second day and, nervous as I was throughout both days, I could not have had a better experience. The organisers, Sterling Events, were fantastic and I had never realised how much work goes on in the background to make sure the conference runs smoothly. I was greeted with words of encouragement and smiles by so many members of staff. I really want to say a huge “thank you” to all of them. I was made to feel extremely welcome and supported and because of this my nerves had simply melted before my big speech. My colleagues and fellow professionals, who knew that I would be presenting, also took time to come over and chat to me, offering tips and moral support and this also helped – I felt great.
Then… The big moment arrived. I won't mention that I thought about running away just minutes before, but then I saw the first slide of my presentation on the huge screen and made my way to the microphone. As soon as I started, I knew that everything was going to be ok. I spoke about recurring sickness absence and saw people making notes and smiling and realised that all my preparation had been worth it. It was especially gratifying to get positive comments and shared feedback at the end from a Dutch HR practitioner and a GP who commented that GPs need more communication with Vocational Consultants.
The two busy days of the conference and my experience as a speaker has had a very positive legacy effect on me. I would advise anyone in the industry who is thinking of attending the next conference to go. Also, if you are invited to be a speaker, go for it, you will get all the support you need and I can guarantee that you will love every minute of it. As for me, I can advise that my feet are no longer hurting after wearing high heels for two solid days - I did unfortunately choose the wrong pair of shoes in the end!
About the author: Katya Halsall is a Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, Sickness Absence Manager and Career/Life Coach. Katya is the owner and founder of Eclectic Human Solutions. She has more than seventeen years of experience in the field of sickness absence management and Vocational Rehabilitation.