Looking after your wellbeing as a PA

This article looks specifically at PA wellbeing. It explores what wellbeing means and why it matters. It considers what factors could impact on your wellbeing as a PA, and has tips to help you look after your wellbeing.

What do we mean by wellbeing?

It can be hard to define ‘wellbeing’ in a way that everyone understands. But most people think of wellbeing as a combination of feeling good in yourself, and being able to function well in your day to day life.

Wellbeing is shaped by lots of factors including physical health, mental health, relationships, money, the environment you live in and the barriers you face every day.

You may want to think about what wellbeing means to you in your life and your work.

Why is wellbeing important?

Wellbeing is important to achieve a good quality of life. It also contributes to more positive experiences at work.
PA work has the potential to be very rewarding and meaningful. It can also be challenging and complex. Our work life makes up an important part of our overall wellbeing and can ‘spill over’ into our personal lives.

PAs have free access to the National Wellbeing Hub for Personal Assistants.

What influences wellbeing?

In Scotland, some recent research on the wellbeing of PAs found the key factors that impact on PA wellbeing. These are described below, with some top tips for PAs on how to support your wellbeing.

The job itself

PA work can be highly specialised, medically complex, physically challenging, and emotionally demanding. Research also shows that PAs often have high levels of job satisfaction, and value the ways they can support their employers. The PA role can be misunderstood by the public and other professionals, so PAs can feel invisible and undervalued. This also reflects how society undervalues disabled people.

PA tip: be open to thinking through with your employer how best to be introduced to others, especially to members of professional groups. You can also access the free elearning module, Understanding the Value of Personal Assistants to help you learn more about the uniqueness of the PA role.

Employment conditions

Employment conditions have a huge impact on wellbeing. Some PAs have insecure work, lower pay, and limited access to promotion. PA employers are often limited by how much funding they get from the local authority.

PA tip: Through membership of PA Network Scotland (PANS), PAs can access a range of benefits including independent advice on employment, signposting to supporting organisations, information about employment rights and access to discounted union membership

Training and support

PAs often lack access to adequate training and support. The evidence suggests that access to training programmes is likely to support PA wellbeing, though it could also risk undermining PA employer choice and control. Some PA employers may want to go on training with their PAs, some may prefer that their PAs do training or their own, and some employers may wish to train PAs themselves

Isolation

The PA role can be isolating at times, particularly when PAs aren’t part of a wider team. Lone working can come with risks to wellbeing, and means that PAs don’t have the same access to peer support as many other workers.

PA tip: Joining PA Network Scotland (PANS) enables PAs to be part of a Scotland-wide support organisation for PAs. PAs can also link up with local Self-Directed Support organisations to be signposted to local PA networks, such as Facebook Groups, Whatsapp Groups, Centres for Inclusive Living and carers centres.

Relationships

Relationships between PAs and their employers are important to wellbeing for both. The strong relationships between PA employers and PAs can mean higher trust, closer connection and collaboration. But it can also be a source of frustration and conflict. PAs must also navigate relationships with other professionals, and sometimes with family carers or the partners of the people they support.

PA tip: It is often much easier to resolve relationship challenges between PA employers and PAs as soon as they come up, rather than waiting until they get more serious. PAs and their employers can access a one-off free mediation session through PANS.

You can also access the Healthy Working Relationships elearning module to learn more about how to build a strong relationship with your employer.