LISA BANNAN: You’re here for three weeks and I’m sure you’ve been there.
And you’ve got the job.
So you’re going to go back to work.
But if you’re not going to be here for a couple of weeks, you’re missing out.
So if you want to go out and do something, you have to find out what you want, but you’ve also got to find a way to work and you’ve just got to take it one day at a time, you know?
That’s what’s so wonderful about being a part of the family.
JANNE MARIE DEVLIN: But what if you have a family that’s just starting to grow, and you’re having to juggle these three things?
And you don’t know if you can handle it or not?
What if your wife or your kids are going to leave for a while?
What about your friends?
What can you do?
JANNA JONES: Well, as you know, when we got together, we had been through a difficult time.
And I had to leave my job.
I was working as a carer in a local care home.
So, I was going to stay with my parents.
So I was thinking of all the things that I wanted to do with my family.
And then I found out that my sister had died.
So that was very devastating.
So when I found myself here, it was very freeing.
And the people who were around me, you see, were so caring, so wonderful, so generous.
So they really helped me to see things from their point of view.
And so I think it was really, really helpful to have that support, to know that they were really in my corner.
And we were able to have a very good relationship.
And one of the things I loved about it was that I was able to meet my own siblings and cousins, and I could be a part a lot of the conversations.
And also be a role model for my younger siblings.
So it was a great opportunity to really, you’ve come to see my life, but also the life of the children, and also the young adults in the community.
So being able to be around them and have a great time was really a blessing.
JANE HAYWARD: And so when you’ve had to do this, what are the things you’ve learnt that you think can be put into practice?
JANE JONES, CEO, BANANA FAMILY: Well we were all on our own, so it was so much about finding a balance.
And that’s where I would say, I think we’re learning, actually, the most useful thing is that we need to really embrace the family unit, and our family as a whole, as one.
And because that’s what we’re here to do, we need support in the way we need that support to come in the form of work.
So we’ve got, you can say it in terms of the job market, we’re seeing an upsurge in people wanting to find work in this sector.
And there are a lot more people looking for work in the hospitality sector, and in retail, and we have people wanting a role in our retail workforce, you name it.
And it’s important that we really recognise that these are the opportunities that we’re going into.
And as we look at what needs to be done to support those people, we’ve also just got a lot to learn about the skills and the experience and the work that they’re going for, and how we can support them.
So for example, I’ve worked with the childcare provider sector, I’m a parent myself, and it’s such a different experience to working in a retail environment.
So having been involved in that sector for so many years, I know a lot about it.
So how do we take that experience, which is really new, and develop it in the workplace?
And so, as I say, we can see that there’s a real need for people in the workforce.
So all those things are going into play.
And in that respect, I really like the fact that we’ve been able to work with our retail team, and have some really positive things happen.
JOE MCGRATH: So, with all the work you’ve done in the retail sector, do you think you could have done something else?
JOE MARIE DAVLIN, CEO: Yes.
I think there are so many things I could have said to my colleagues that they would have liked to have done differently.
And obviously, there are lots of things that we could have learnt.
We can’t change the world, but we can make sure that we do things right.
And at the end of the day, we all have to be in the same boat, and be working with each other and support each other.
So yeah, I can definitely say that
