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Market manager Debora Agelidu told NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann about her care experiences. I Photo: Achim Bachhausen
Caring relatives
"Help with just a single call"
by Bettina Rees

It took REWE store manager Debora Agelidu a lot of phone calls and running around to find a care place for her father. That's why it's so important to her today that her employees know what awo lifebalance has to offer and the hotline number.

Debora Agelidu, a store manager at a REWE supermarket in Cologne, learnt about her employer's support services for carers when she had already managed her situation - with a great deal of time and thought.

When Agelidu's father fell ill with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease at the age of 80, her mother, who was primarily responsible for caring for her, eventually reached her limits. "That was very, very difficult." The deep love that the family felt for their sick father was not enough. A place in a care home had to be found. And this is where the odyssey of the Cologne resident with Greek roots began: "It was difficult to get information," she recalls. She must have contacted "eight or nine" organisations, running from "x to y" until a place was found. At the same time, a colleague's husband suffered a stroke. He recovered, thanks in part to his wife, who reduced her hours to part-time to provide care.

It was only shortly after these events that store manager Agelidu learnt from a colleague about the awo lifebalance service: "You can get help here with just one phone call". Agelidu now knows that all REWE store employees can find the hotline number and further information "in the orange colour on the store PC or in the employee app on the Gemeinsam topfit tile" (PENNY employees can find the information in the My PENNY app in the "Benefits" tile).

„Humanity is the be-all and end-all for me“Debora Agelidu

Everyone in the team should know about this offer: "My deputy is the buf mentor for all compatibility issues in our store, she has taken care of it and familiarised herself with it." An important thing for Agelidu. She comes from the catering industry and knows how damaging the mix of job stress and personal worries can be to health: "I immediately sensed that something was wrong with the colleague whose husband had a stroke. If you come to work under pressure because of a personal problem, such as a care situation, in the worst case scenario you will fall ill yourself and be absent for longer. It's better to take some time off and then come back when everything is organised."

Agelidu, who won the "Store Manager of the Year" award in 2024, not only pays attention to gaps in the shelves, but also and especially to her employees: "For me, humanity is the be-all and end-all. You grow together through working together. I notice when someone laughs less, seems worried." Then, according to the store manager, the only right thing to do is to offer help - for example in the form of the awo hotline number.

Debora Agelidu's father is taken care of, the greatest stress is over. Nevertheless, she looks back: "I would have been happy if I had known about awo lifebalance early on."

WESTside Stories #83 | Debora Agelidu in the podcast

Store Manager Deborah Angelidu is a guest on WESTside Stories, the podcast series from REWE Region West. In the latest episode #83, she and Corinna Spies, responsible for work-life balance and health issues in the West Region, shed light on challenges such as childcare and care.

In conversation with moderator Christiane Preisen, they present support services such as counselling services and health platforms and show why a positive, family-friendly working environment is important for companies and employees alike.
https://westside-stories.podigee.io/83-arbeit-alltag-einklang-mit-dem-audit-berufundfamilie

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