Tariq Naseer Raja, Executive Director of the CareTech Foundation, shares real-life examples that show why giving back isn’t just an act of generosity— it’s a powerful tool for boosting wellbeing.
I’ll start like they do every bad wedding toast, ‘wellbeing’ is defined as ‘the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy’. At the CareTech Foundation, we are big believers in the adage, ‘it is good to give’. As a grant-making charity, however, we are limited in how we can give because we need people to apply to us in order for us to award grants. This makes for an interesting presentation when I meet staff and share how they can make a difference by sponsoring support for someone else. You would think in the middle of a cost of living crisis, stressed and overworked social care workers would only care for themselves but, unsurprisingly to my team and I, it is when we have found our incredible workforce to be the most charitable.
Over the last six years, I have had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of staff members with one message, ‘you can make a difference’. The result of this has been successfully supporting 387 charities, 354 as a direct result of staff nominating the work of a charity. People reach out to me offering to volunteer, to mentor and to support local groups across the holidays because it makes them feel better. Wellbeing is not just about the people you work with, the hours and the pay, though those are all important, wellbeing, is about knowing you can make a positive difference, and it is not work when you love what you are doing.
Our Community Grants are for the friends, family and communities of CareTech Ltd staff, so they can make a positive impact on those around them. Over the years we’ve received numerous applications where people asked for support for friends, neighbors and relatives who were struggling to pay for funerals or falling behind on bills. Their support, made a difference in those people’s lives and, for these staff members, they came back to us with ‘thank you’ and ‘you made my day’ knowing they had helped someone else.
We also offer volunteering opportunities so staff can use their personal and professional skills to help the next generation of young people. For those familiar with mentoring, the process is self-fulfilling, reassuring and helps both people. Our programmes have enabled staff members to support people aged 16-30 of all backgrounds and abilities. Staff mentors find the experience offers them an opportunity to take stock of their own achievements.
So, why do it? Because, it helps improve your mental state. In a demanding world of growing responsibilities, helping someone else can boost one’s own mental health. Whether you are critiquing work or being asked to explain your own journey, it helps put things into perspective. The one thing long hours and routine can take away from us is that by giving to others, we are able to hit pause and focus again on our achievements rather than tomorrow. We need more of this to help staff develop better skills that will ensure their mental and physical wellbeing are prioritised.
In a post-COVID world, we don’t just rely on technology to print things, we also rely on it overwhelmingly for social interactions. By adding charity and selflessness, we break the monotony of these interactions and add real value. By offering staff the opportunity to fundraise for charities, to help
their friends and family and volunteer, we can boost their confidence and their self-worth. There is plenty of research out there but I am privileged to see the difference helping others can make on people. It is good for the individual and it is good for the sector if we can champion people and activities around us. If the goal is to have a comfortable, healthy, or happy workforce, then we, collectively, need to put the tools in place that create those opportunities.
