I left Iran with Mum, Dad and my brother at the age of six. There was a lot I went through and saw during that journey until we eventually arrived at the detention centre in Australia as refugees by boat.
After being released, we were sent to Melbourne. Once there I thought that my family, who grew from four to six with the addition of my two youngest siblings, could finally be happy.
As my new life unfolded, I quickly developed independence. In my culture, many women are dependent on their spouses and don’t have a voice of their own. I decided from a young age I would never allow a man to dictate where I would live, sleep or even eat.
As a teenager I had to help support my mother financially and so I got my first job at 15 at a fast-food restaurant.
While I supported my family, I became really invested in my job as it was one of the only stable things I had in my life at the time. I became a full-time manager at only 17 years of age and continued to quickly rise in rank within the company. Family gatherings, friendships, and hobbies became less and less as I no longer had any spare time. My hard work paid off and I purchased my first property at the age of 21.
But in 2012 I experienced my first . It was just another normal, hectic day at work and then a cooker exploded which resulted in a deep laceration on my face and burns to my arms. In that moment, instead of thinking about myself, I remember being more worried about my staff that had witnessed this rather than the injuries I had received. I was so worried about the inconvenience that I had caused the business and how this had impacted the day’s trade, I actually felt at fault for what had happened. After being admitted to the hospital, I received stitches on my face and bandages on my arms before I was sent home. I remember mum and dad told me I would not be allowed to return to work again as they feared another injury could occur. But that was never an option for me. I would not accept the idea of stopping my employment and having to depend on someone else.
The injuries sustained after Yash's first workplace injury. Source: Supplied
I felt like I was negligent for what had happened, even though I wasn’t, and so I returned to work just three weeks after the accident. Years went by and I continued to work, not taking any annual leave as I felt I could not let the business down in my absence.
But in 2017 I began to burn out. I struggled to keep up with life, to continue to support the family, support the business, keep up with the targets and results I was being demanded to deliver. I felt like I was being pressured and harassed by others to meet targets with no regard to my wellbeing. It had gotten to the point where I would wake up in the morning and struggled to find a reason to move, I felt I didn’t have a reason to continue.
I became very isolated from everyone and did my best to hide what I was feeling inside because mental health concerns were never taken seriously in our culture. I began experiencing anxiety and panic attacks and was eventually diagnosed with severe depression.
I was going down a dark road when I finally reached out to my workplace for help, but I felt I was made to feel like a burden to everyone. Everyone I had supported at work throughout the years and had called my ‘family’, seemed to not be there to help me when I needed them the most.
I wish I had put myself first instead of thinking only of how much money I could save, or make, the company.
While trying to recover from the mental burnout I was experiencing, I was faced with a second injury in 2018 when I had a serious neck injury at work. This took a bigger physical toll on me and recovery was not an easy process. Feeling like I was not being supported by my workplace made me feel broken and devastated after all the years I had dedicated to them.
After nearly 12 years I finally decided to walk away from this employment after no longer being able to physically provide the same services I used to be able to prior to my injury. I sourced employment elsewhere and I am now based in an office job. I still undertake full-time hours and my work acknowledge my limited ability to do heavy, manual handling due to my injuries.
There are so many systems in place for employees to receive advice and support but I believe most of these are not being communicated and spoken about enough. I was always scared to rock the boat or be an inconvenience to the business at the expense of my own health. I now have to live with this neck injury for the rest of my life and I have to continue to manage my mental health daily.
I wish I had put myself first instead of thinking only of how much money I could save, or make, the company. Because at the end of the day, I believe my dedication to the job was not recognised.
I want other young employees to know that they don’t need to put up with any kind of harassment, bullying, or pressure by their employers. There is always support out there. Young kids these days need to speak out if something is wrong, and if they feel they aren’t supported by their direct managers, I would encourage them to raise it higher up until the issue is recognised and dealt with accordingly. No one deserves to suffer mental ill health, or physical trauma, in their workplace. At the end of the day nothing is more important than your mental, emotional and physical health.
