Auntie’s Back to Business package helped Juha Falck, Sales Executive at Qvik, to return to the office after 5 months at home. “The package was encouraging and gave me new insights. Auntie professionals know what they’re talking about, so communicating with them is very pleasant. They know the right questions to ask, so that you yourself understand how to solve the issue at hand.” With the Auntie professional, things got off to a good start right from the first session, and the two quickly found a common ground.
Taking care of the body and mind
Juha has been in the IT industry for a long time and has seen how many of his friends take great care of their body – going to the gym regularly and running marathons – yet they don’t remember to do the same for their mind. One’s well-being should be made a priority and luckily a variety of tools are available to help the mind recover.
Juha believes everyone would benefit from different mental health and well-being services. He’s made his well-being a central priority in his life, using tools such as philosophy and meditation to help him. Juha has been meditating every day for several years, which has given him a broader perspective and helped him expand his mindset. He uses technology, such as a meditation headband, as part of his practice.
Working in a client-facing role in an industry like IT comes with stressful and anxiety triggering situations, even for an experienced employee like Juha. Luckily, he has learned to incorporate breathing into his daily stress-reduction routine. Focusing on this simple act has taught him how to deal with stress in everyday life, e.g., by doing a breathing technique of 5 breaths in and out. The importance of breathing was also discussed with an Auntie professional.
From parental leave to a new job
The life in the times of COVID-19 has also brought positive changes for Juha, whose first child was born just before the restrictions took place. Juha enjoyed seeing his child grow, something that many fathers miss while they spend the majority of the day at the office. Later, during parental leave, he could focus solely on his new role of being a father and not pull himself in multiple directions, which too often was the case at work. After a long period of not working and then starting a new job, the Back to Business package came just at the right moment to support Juha’s transition back to work.
The Back to Business package provided a supportive space for Juha to talk about returning to work. As the session progressed, other topics were also addressed, such as work identity and imposter syndrome. Does one need to prove their skills when entering a senior position? These kinds of themes were reached with the Auntie professional. It was also discovered that Juha has an inner critic that asks questions such as “do you have what it takes to do these things?”.
”Letting these things out in the presence of a professional has boosted my self-confidence. Thanks to Auntie’s psychological support, I’ve had many ”Aha!” moments and insights that I can now apply in my private as well as my professional life.”
Overcoming self-doubt in music and work
Music plays an important role in Juha's life as well. Juha is a music producer and makes music under the name Millennium Falck. He mixes and masters, as well as performs at gigs. He feels at his most creative in the evenings, which is also when he makes music. He has released two full-length records in the COVID era. Juha feels that his musical endeavors help him think “outside the box” also in the work context, and due to this quality, he’s been given special responsibilities at work.
Juha has done a lot of inner work but had not made the connection between his music-making and day job. The same doubts about his competence came to the surface in the music side of things, too. With the Auntie professional, Juha realized that he doesn’t need to differentiate the artist and the work persona in him, but he can actually bring these two personas together. “It’s not me who’s doubting myself, but the inner critic in me who’s trying to bring me down.” After this realization, Juha has found himself to be more confident and doesn’t doubt his skills in client-facing situations anymore. “Those feelings just completely disappeared. It’s a great example of something very concrete that changed quickly after starting with the Back to Business package”, Juha says.
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Intensive support in the beginning is needed when returning to work
The Back to Business package is a great way to have a successful transition back to work. The intensity of the Auntie package took Juha by surprise. The biggest need for support tends to be at the beginning, and when entering a new environment, it is good to have the opportunity to discuss any worries or issues with a neutral person. Juha feels that he has adapted well to his new job. Even his manager said after only a few weeks that it feels like Juha has been in the company for a long time already.
The Auntie professional has provided solid support for Juha’s return to work, giving him invaluable insights. There is room for self-reflection, and a safe space to talk openly about one’s thoughts. Juha believes it is important to seek support for mental well-being both in a preventive and continuous way. “I heard at the recruitment stage that Qvik uses Auntie. For me it was a major advantage, and it certainly helped me in my decision to change jobs. Even though I hadn’t used Auntie before, the fact that Qvik has invested in such a service sends out a strong signal that they take good care of their employees.”
Juha would recommend starting the Back to Business package about 2 weeks after starting at a new job. Good people are a valuable asset and supporting them right in the early stages will help make the recruitment a success.
The stigma is disappearing
In Juha's opinion, the stigma around mental health issues has started to vanish over the past decade in Finland. It is now acceptable to talk about mental well-being and visiting a psychologist. In everyday life, all sorts of things pile up, and Juha has started to share more of his inner thoughts with his friends as well. Men in particular tend to put up a strong face no matter what, which is why it would be all the more important for them to talk about different things and show more of their emotions.
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