Weekly sign-on at Job Centre

sharski

lufcgirl.... you are actually so right! JC actually DO want to help people with simple enquiries....
However, a short while ago, instructions came from above that (to reduce foot fall) enquiries about benefits had to go through the processing section (BDC), even though, as you say, it could just be a matter of a couple of taps on a computer screen!
Believe it or not, if someone wants to make an appt for a benefit enquiry, they have to ring the BDC, who will then ring the JC, who will then make an appt for the person they have just turned away!!

Take it from me... JC staff are NOT happy doing this but, as some people find hard to believe, our hands are tied!

Hopefully, you will get your posting soon & will realise that with VERY limited time & rules placed upon you, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do a good job....

busy_mom_2

lufcgirl wrote: »

See, I can understand what your saying about people blaming the jobcentre because they don't have a job. But the jobcentres themselves can go a long way in helping people have a better opinion of them too.
Like I said before, I can't fault the person I sign with, and theres been some really other helpful people too.

What gets me though is that in previous jobs I would go out of my way to help someone. Say, I used to work in a mobile phone shop and we didn't have to send customers phones for repair or give them one to use, we could've just told them to call customer service. But I took time out from my targets to help these people, and it was only a five minute job.
What I see is a lot of people who work in my local jobcentre on the main enquiry desk, and someone comes in with a query. Something simple and something that could be checked on a computer within a couple of minutes. Instead they send the person away to sit in a queue on the phone for half an hour while they stand around waiting for the next person. Now if that was me, I'd be wanting to help the person as much as possible. I'm not saying not to do it if you don't know what advice your giving, but a simple query deserves some simple curteosy. And it'd go a long way in improving my perception of the JobCentre as they seem only to keen to pass off anything to somebody else.

You say you are on a waiting list for AO post, well done and good luck with your job

When you start you will see though that we can't help everyone.
People make a claim to benfit then their claim is sent to a processing site. We have access to only certain screens in relation to their benefit. As we don't process the claims we have to send them to the phones for the majority of their queries as we cannot answer them. The access we have is view only, we cannot actually do any changes even if we wanted to. This is were people think we just don't want to help the truth is we can't. We can only ring the same no as the customer, we have no magic numbers so we just end up cloggin up the enquies desk.
People used to be able to go to a social security office and speak to a person, since they became none public buildings the jobcentre is the only place they can go.
A lot of things will become clearer once you start and then you will see how things do or dont work from the other side of the fence.

ahai1

I have always found that people on reception and signing on tend to be a bit more professional than the rest of them.

I have been discriminated by the jobcentre a lot. I once told a very rude person on jobseekers direct that I could not do a lot of the jobs as I was blind and he became upset and told me that I could do.

Another thing in my case it is managers who are the problem as they back staff to the hilt and don't want to make them do the job they are hired to do.

I had enough of some of the services and I arranged an appointment with the business manager. The business manager did not reply to my letter within 10 working days so I went to the office and the member of staff at reception managed to get me an appointment with him. The business manager did not turn up for an appointment or make any other arrangements as he was busy elsewhere. I was instead interview by his deputy who was a professional liar. She told me something that was not true and I challenged her on that and she relented but in my dealings with her I knew that she would do this again and again until someone told her to stop. I then filed a complaint to the office manager about the business manager and his customer service skills i.e not replying to letters in the time frame set and the discrimination by his deputy. I sent her 2 letters and eventually managed to get her on the phone. She told me that she would ask her PA to investigate as she was too busy to do her job.

In the meantime the business manager had been promoted for doing a good job. Her PA was made his deputy and my complaint was never investigated so after all this I filed a complaint against the 4 of them to the district manager.

I got a letter of apology from the district manager for the failures of the office manager and her 3 dishonest underlings.

Also the people on the telephones are lazy dishonest and stupid. Most of them will not connect you to anyone.

I don't give a stuff about the people who work at the jobcentre they are there to do a job and I don't care if their husband has left them or what. I am frankly not bothered.

churchrat

My daughter has just signed on. She is the first person in our family to do this EVER and so we did not know what to expect . When she signed on for the first time a week ago she had an interview and told them that she was going to a family wedding next weekend. This has been booked for ages and we will all be staying in a hotel (really looking forward to it!!) This meant that she would not be able to sign on on the day given to her (Friday). No problem the advisor said, just phone and let us know.
NO PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for heavens sake could some one at least teach all advisors to say the same thing!!!!!!!!!!!!
She has gone from "no problem" to " you will lose your claim and have to start again which will take about 3 weeks" to "just come in on Monday"
we have no idea which is the right answer because she keeps being told different things. we decided to record the last phone call (told them it was on record) and just do what they told her to do.
We can cope with being unfriendly--after all they are not our friends, but PLEASE could they know what they are supposed to be talking about?

I can understand why so many people lie to "advisors"

red_devil

churchrat wrote: »

My daughter has just signed on. She is the first person in our family to do this EVER and so we did not know what to expect . When she signed on for the first time a week ago she had an interview and told them that she was going to a family wedding next weekend. This has been booked for ages and we will all be staying in a hotel (really looking forward to it!!) This meant that she would not be able to sign on on the day given to her (Friday). No problem the advisor said, just phone and let us know.
NO PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for heavens sake could some one at least teach all advisors to say the same thing!!!!!!!!!!!!
She has gone from "no problem" to " you will lose your claim and have to start again which will take about 3 weeks" to "just come in on Monday"
we have no idea which is the right answer because she keeps being told different things. we decided to record the last phone call (told them it was on record) and just do what they told her to do.
We can cope with being unfriendly--after all they are not our friends, but PLEASE could they know what they are supposed to be talking about?

I can understand why so many people lie to "advisors"

you get that in all walks of life not just jobcentre staff. Doctors tell you different things too and people who work in shops. Often they just dont know.

ahai1

The advisor should have asked the signing on manager.

I was once told that I did not have to attend signing because I was doing a work trial by an assistant business manager and the business manager approved. The signing on manager did not approve this so I had to come in later on in the day. It seems to me that they don't know anything. The assistant business manager is now the signing on manager.

churchrat

red_devil wrote: »

you get that in all walks of life not just jobcentre staff. Doctors tell you different things too and people who work in shops. Often they just dont know.

the real problem here is that the outcome for each advisor is very different. If doctors make mistakes we can complain, there is a well known and used complaints procedure. Have you any idea how diofficult it is to complain about the jobcentre??
Also, at the jobcentre--if they get it wrong it is the jobseeker who is left without any money, and it can take weeks to sort it out.
My dd is very lucky and we support her----I feel very sorry for the people, who thro no fault of thier own are left without money.
Just think how much heart ache would be eliminated if they just got it right in the first place.
Surly it can't be that uncommon for a person to go away from thier home for a few days? I'm not sugeesting that they each should know all there is to know about thier own department, but surly they could know all there is to know about freqeuntly asked questions??????

Idf I get given the wrong information in a shop I might just buy a whole meal loaf when I just wanted a white loaf---being without any money because of someones mistake is a very different matter.

ahai1

I have complained before and the system is followed only when they choose to or unless the district manager investigates.

busy_mom_2

There are a lot of new staff in jobcentre who have been through training but can't be expected to know everything.
Basically when you sign you are signing to say for the last 2 weeks I have been available for work and actively seeking work.
There is no problem with attending the wedding as you can still be treated as available and actively seeking for times but like this but only so many times.
If you are actually going away to the wedding she completes a holiday form then attends the next available day, if it just a local wedding but means you cannot attend at all that day again you just attend next available day and use one of your treated as available periods.

98jdougl

I've been claiming for over 6 months (finally got a job today!) and never asked to attend weekly at all!