Jane has been working at the HAN for more than ten years. After a divorce a few years ago, she has daily financial worries. She tells her story because she believes support is needed. Also within the HAN.
Narrated by Jane, written by Carinda

AFTER THE FIXED COSTS THERE IS ALMOST NOTHING LEFT

Jane begins to talk, fidgety and loud; “I’m in that boat too. When I come home…”. We’ve just started our conversation, but she falls silent and cries. “When I come home it is lonely, I look for help on all sides. I am afraid of being evicted.” She has done and experienced things over the past four years, that brought about the current financial consequences. It feels like she’s being punished and she doesn’t know how to manage anymore. Jane is worried about her money: “I walk down the street with my head down. I don’t get any rest because I’m in uncertainty every day. It’s hard to bear.”
When Jane receives her monthly income, calculations must first be made: “First the fixed costs have to be deducted. After that there is almost nothing left, for example to go out, I have to look very carefully. I first joined a sports club, which cost 42 euros a month. I started skimping on that. But how do I explain to my sports buddies that I’m not coming anymore? Sport is so important to give some mental relief and to have people around me”. Jane looks somewhere in the distance for the right words and cries silently. “How am I supposed to keep it all in balance?”

MAYBE I SHOULD SELL MY PARENTS’ JEWELRY

Jane can barely afford the groceries. She has to be careful where she buys it. Now that she has lost weight, she needs new clothes and that is not self-evident either. For the first time in her life, she now looks at second-hand shops and it doesn’t stop there: “I have my own little car. I’m so scared… I want to keep it. To make a buffer, I sold my bicycle. And jewelry that I got from my parents..” Tears roll. “I think I‘ll sell them. And maybe I should get rid of my car after that.”
How her financial worries affect her life? Jane’s colleagues probably will not notice anything, Jane just pretends all is fine. Recently there was one colleague who said: “I have the impression that something is going on, shall we have a cup of tea?” It was nice that someone took her aside. Anyone can do that for a colleague or a student. According to Jane, you have to give someone the feeling that they can turn to you.

A SURVIVAL MODE TO GET THROUGH THE DAY

Despite the fact that she doesn’t like to wash her dirty linen in public, she now tells her story. “It has to be taken seriously. I’m not the only one at the HAN. There are also colleagues with an bachelor salary who are having a hard time. And students. This needs to be discussed, also at a higher level. On the one hand, support must be offered. But you also have to discuss it yourself.” When you get into such a situation, according to Jane, you can no longer focus. Your head goes black and white and you survive to get through the day. Jane says that she can no longer do her work as before: “I can’t concentrate well anymore, I’m going to make mistakes. I can’t shift between tasks like I used to. I’m balancing so many different things at the same time. I feel like ‘oh god how do I get out of here’. I can no longer manage my work load properly. It also affects my health. I am sensitive to stress, I get backaches and headaches. And of course I sleep restlessly.”

BAM, BAM, BAM, AND SUPPORT STARTS TOMORROW!

Jane also has ideas about what the HAN can do: “Put it in newsletters and invite people to come and discuss it. Now I constantly have to take different steps to be heard, actually it should be the other way around. Much more effort and initiatives must be taken to reach people, you cannot buy bread from listening alone. Think of a budget coach, sit around the table with HR, reserve some money for people who are in a dire situation. Make sure they can get an advance on their wages. Or spread out the payment of the thirteenth month bonus throughout the year.”
According to Jane, there should actually be a counter inside the HAN somewhere, instead of HAN employees having to visit seven people like she does. “If you start talking there, they immediately set out lines”, her hand hits the table: “bam, bam, bam, and support starts tomorrow. That would be the most wonderful thing. Concrete actions!”

WHAT TO DO?

More than ever, it is necessary to look within the HAN for opportunities to contribute to the social security of people, families, neighborhoods and communities. And to the social security of our own colleagues and students. It is necessary to exchange ideas within and between academies about social responsibility and about the contribution that everyone can make from their own profession. With this project, Han FairHealth and the Werkplaats Sociaal Domein Arnhem and Nijmegen contribute to this conversation, that must be held within and outside the HAN. We will present Jane’s story to colleagues at the HAN. We ask an important question: What should we do?
This has two goals: making agreements about who will do something for (and with) Jane tomorrow and thinking about structural adjustments within HAN to support colleagues with financial concerns. Tomorrow and every day after that.
We will follow this process and the solutions it brings to Jane. We also ensure that all that knowledge is shared in various ways.
Do you work at the HAN and do you need help now? To get started, look here: Waarbij kun je om hulp vragen? (han.nl)

Questions, comments or do you want to share your story? Email Marleen.vandewestelaken@han.nl or Carinda.Jansen@han.nl or use this contact form.