Advice please

honeyD

Before this year started I was suffering with depression and anxiety and was out of work. I thought I had sorted myself out and went and got a job as I felt a lot better.
In January I started work as a community care assistant/worker with elderly people.
I work 6 days each week and am a "walker" as I do not have a car. I am starting to find myself being stressed with work and issues I have in regards to the way I have my day set out and places I have to go to which involve quite a bit of travel time. Say I have 30-34 hours one week and I am out for 55 hours. Only the time I actually "work" is paid, the walking is not. I am also being sent to places quite a distance and to one person I have specifically requested not to have to go to anymore but still have on my list. This weekend a lady I got close to has died and that is a struggle aswell. I dont know how you are supposed to strengthen yourself to these things happening when you spend so much time with someone. I spent more time with this lady over the last few months than I have with my own grandparents.
I also keep being asked to work on my day off which is stressful so I keep ignoring the phone and every day off for the last few weeks I have been called early morning which annoys me because its the only day I get to have a lie-in.
Im just finding myself really stressed out and its taking its toll and I find myself in tears over the silliest things and I dont want to go down the depression road again so I am trying to fight it but I know Im losing.
I was thinking about going part time for a while as my contract is 0 hours. Although I did ask for 30+ when I started so I feel I would be messing the company around but I cant help it. I dont want to lose the job but the way my days are set out I dont get much time at home really as Im in and out all day to different work visits.
If I were to go part time, what support would be available to me? Also I say part time but I dont know how many hours that would be! At the moment I do anything from 30 - 40.
If you got this far then thanks for reading and I hope someone can help.
Thankyou

getmore4less

Who is the employer? looks like they are using you because you are to willing to respond/accept requests.
no need to actualy name NHS or private big small etc will do

No need to go part time you are officialy zero time. so you can pick and choose from what is offered

exercise you rights under zero hours to pick and choose.

Risk is they stop offering shifts but if short of staff that is unlikely.

How dependant on the moeny are you.

Are you getting holidays or holiday pay, zero hours is often a way to fiddle holiday allowances especialy in private companies.

honeyD

getmore4less wrote: »

Who is the employer? looks like they are using you because you are to willing to respond/accept requests.
no need to actualy name NHS or private big small etc will do

No need to go part time you are officialy zero time. so you can pick and choose from what is offered

exercise you rights under zero hours to pick and choose.

Risk is they stop offering shifts but if short of staff that is unlikely.

How dependant on the moeny are you.

Are you getting holidays or holiday pay, zero hours is often a way to fiddle holiday allowances especialy in private companies.

I get an hour of holiday for about every 10 hours I work. I think Ive worked up a number of days holidays so far, over a week I would say. I feel like I need some time off but Im saving my holidays for before we move as hopefully I can have them in the last week. I will be leaving the company altogether then.
To be honest we need the money but Im not making that much.. Im on minimum wage and I make about £50 more a month than I would on JSA once rent and tax have been taken into account. I dont mind dropping that £50 as we would be able to manage until we move. The company dont know Im moving yet as I havent mentioned it. Its not NHS, its a private company.

kingfisherblue

Unfortunately, if you are not a car owner, care assistants can and do spend considerable time travelling between clients, and this time is unapid. My nineteen year old daughter cannot drive and she works for an agency as a care assistant. She works six days a week. She usually works thirty hours a week, but spends an additional 25 hours and fifty minutes travelling. For one of her shifts, which lasts an hour and a half, she has to get two buses. Due to the times they run, she spends an hour getting to her shift, but an hour and a half getting home. She does this shift six days a week, twice one day a week.

She has asked for shifts closer to home, but it all depends on what is available.

On your day off, turn your phone off before you go to bed the night before (or put it on silent). If you don't hear it, you can't be woken by it.

If there are particular problems with a client and you don't want to return to them, make your request in writing. If their name then appears on your time sheet, contact the office as soon as you get the timesheet and point out that you do not wish to attend that client and that you have explained your reasons in writing. If the client is only one day a week, consider taking an additional day off.

Think about a bus pass for getting about. My daughter pays £53 a month for one, as it would be impossible to get to some clients without transport. It means that she can always use it at other times as well - although she doesn't have much free time, as she is studying in addition to her work.

My daughter doesn't get holiday pay as she is on a zero hours contract, but at least her wages are higher than the minimum wage (she's nineteen and her lowest rate of pay is £6.45 an hour, which is well above NMW for her age).

honeyD

I have tried turning off my phone but they call the landline. Ive said to my husband that next day off I will be turning off all of the phones and since they wont be calling my husbands mobile I will leave that on incase of emergency for family.
I feel for your daughter kingfisher as I know it is hard work. It would be nice to be paid more for it though. Is she qualified to NVQ level? Im not and they put me on NMW until I qualify but wont start me on the next course for months. Strangely when I applied for the job the advert said £6-£9 an hour yet I get less, maybe I should have fought that at the time but I just wanted to work.

kingfisherblue

My daughter had no suitable qualifications - she has eight GCSEs (A-C) and two poor A levels. Her agency gave her basic training before she started, but a few weeks ago they asked her if she would like to do her NVQ level 2. She met her tutor on Saturday. Don't forget tht although she gets a better wage, she gets no holiday pay.

On your day off, honeyD, do unplug your landline - get the rest that you need. Don't be afraid to turn down clients because they are too far away, the agency will always find somebody to cover them (but you might find yourself with fewer shifts). If there is a particular client that you don't feel you can continue with, tell your agency. My daughter went to one client who was unbelievably rude that she requested not to go back. They asked her to attend again, which she did, but once again he was rude and he threw things at the agency staff. She hasn't been back since.

If you can feel the depression coming on, visit your doctor sooner rather than later.

Take care x

getmore4less

kingfisherblue wrote: »

My daughter doesn't get holiday pay as she is on a zero hours contract, but at least her wages are higher than the minimum wage (she's nineteen and her lowest rate of pay is £6.45 an hour, which is well above NMW for her age).

Can she exercise her right under zero hours to not accept shifts.

IMO
If not and regularly works similar hours there is a case for holiday pay.

honeyD

Im thinking cut down to about 20. I dont know how to go about it though.
Theyve already started giving me more visits to do for this week and sending me out a new timesheet with more visits on. I was quite looking forward to having a less busy week.
Im scared to call, I really think I need to work on my confidence, I shouldnt be so scared of calling work when its for the good of my own health should I!

kingfisherblue

getmore4less wrote: »

Can she exercise her right under zero hours to not accept shifts.

IMO
If not and regularly works similar hours there is a case for holiday pay.

There are some shifts that she doesn't accept, especially when she doesn't have time to get from one place to another (or when they offer her a shift that is at the same time as one she is already working!)

I agree that regular similar hours should mean that she gets holiday pay, but she doesn't want to rock the boat at the moment, in case her shifts dry up.

honeyD

Im getting really stressed. Ive told work I want to cut my hours and they said they will have to work on it and hire someone which is fair enough. Yet all week they have been throwing more work at me. Ive turned a couple things down but its seeming more and more like they arent asking anymore. Ive tried to be flexible since I started and took on loads of work even when its a bit too far for me to travel happily and now I feel like they arent going to let me cut the hours. I need to, I cant carry on like this. Its making me dread the phone ringing since I never know if its work or not. They call the house phone, my mobile, I cant get away from them even when Im done with work. I know there are issues this week with someone leaving but I lost a lot of hours with a lady dying and now they seem to think they can give me other things when I want less! I feel like seeing if I can go back on JSA because Im struggling, I really am. Dont know what to do anymore.

CHARDONNAY_3

I really sympathise with you - I too have suffered with depression & anxiety, so I understand it can be very difficult to hold down a job (I'm currently claiming JSA as I left last job due to ill health)

I think you should be proud of yourself for getting this job & for having the courage to speak to your employer about your hours, as I know depression can seriously knock your confidence & self esteem.

If you are on a 0 hour contract, you have no obligation to do all these extra hours & if, as you've said, they aren't asking anymore, they might finally have gotten the hint that you aren't able to work all hours of the day & night.

Unfortunately, staff in care jobs are drastically underpaid & overworked, with private companies taking advantage of their workers ( 0 hr contract is a sign of this - if you're regularly working close to full time hours a fair employer who respected their staff would give you hol pay etc)

I have a sister, Auntie & a couple of friends who do this kind of work & all are treated appalling (except my auntie who works for the council) No-one should have to live their lives, afraid to answer their own phone, it's just not fair & it will exacerbate your condition.

Explain that you can't cope, insist that you have no option but to reduce your hours, as it's affecting your health, then see your doctor as it's best to get help early if you feel a relapse coming on.

Try to be strong & put yourself (& your health 1st) - I know it's not easy, but if you don't stand up to these employers, they'll continue to treat you unfairly.