JSA Advice.

Mr_Eko

Hi,

I've been desperately searching for work for 16 months now. It's just getting ridiculous, over 2000 apps, no interviews, not even a no, just nothing. It's insane and I feel like I'm the only person on the planet.

The Job Centre are now trying to change my work availabilty to include night work. Last time I did night work it destroyed me. On days off I wouldn't sleep for 40 hours+, I woke up with a racing heart and mind, spent hours pacing around feeling as though I was going to die. I now suffer from anxiety as a consequence.

So where do I stand with this? Do I need to get a doctors note? I simply cannot do night work, the thought scares me. My wife is also worried they'll force me to do night work.

Help!

/Eko

paulofessex

If you have been completing 4 applications per day for the last 16 months without an interview, as you describe above, your application process certainly needs reviewing.

In respect of the night work issue l would have thought unless you have a diagnosed medical condition as to why you couldn't work nights l would think that the job centre will be taking it as if you are making yousrself not available for work and may close the claim. Remember they are looking at all ways to get people off the list just so they can reach their own targets.

Mr_Eko

paulofessex wrote: »

your application process certainly needs reviewing.

It's been reviewed so many times I'm wondering if perhaps that is what I should be doing for a job

So I'm thinking, how far will the Job Centre let you go before they agree to not force you to look at night work? Doctors recommend a minimum of eight hours of sleep per night - on nights I was getting two or three. I was constantly ill due to a shattered immune system. As a consequence of this, my wife was ill, as was my three year old son. Whilst working nights at the Post Office, I passed out twice during my twelve hour shift because of lack of energy. What I'm asking, if anyone knows, is to what is an acceptable state for me to end up in before the Job Centre says 'Ok Mr XXX, you've suffered enough'. Presumably my doctor is not going to be happy with me coming in every day?

Please note that my time spent on nights was an enjoyable experience for the most part, good fun and strangely calming to know everyone else is asleep. My body clock just couldn't deal with it.

I realise the Job Centre doesn't care whether I work as a caretaker or a stockbroker - they just want me in work (as do I). That's the reason they forced me to take all my qualifications off my CV and dumb it down to the point where even I don't recognise the person it is supposed to represent!

Cheers

/Eko

dmg24

How long were you on nights previously? Your body clock does adapt, in the same way that it does when you go on holiday to another timezone. I am also rather confused as to how it made your wife and son ill?

I also agree that a review of your application technique would be a good idea. Such a high rate of applications would imply you are not tailoring each one to the individual role.

cit_k

Was it the jobcentre that told you to dumd down the cv, and remove qualifications, or was it one of those new deal/flexi new deal/a4e/type courses that did it?

Im just wondering, as if it was a jobseekers direction, ie an official request, I really cant see how that could be justified as a 'reasonable' request, as many employers state someone is overqualified as the reason for not hiring someone... If someone similar removed the experience/qualifications from the CV and applied for the same job, then surely they would be at least wasting the employers time, and if hired, misrepresenting themselves completely, which is fraud surely, as they would not have been hired if honest.... Now, if the JCP is telling people to deliberately *mislead* and lie to employers, that is not reasonable, so cannot be enforced as I see it as a jobseekers direction...

Arg

dmg24 wrote: »

How long were you on nights previously? Your body clock does adapt, in the same way that it does when you go on holiday to another timezone. I am also rather confused as to how it made your wife and son ill?

It seems you are confused about night shifts and ill health effects they bring.

dmg24

Arg wrote: »

It seems you are confused about night shifts and ill health effects they bring.

I have worked night shifts. They are pretty horrid at first, but your body clock adapts pretty quickly.

Even if they affected the worker's health, how would that then affect the health of their wife and child?

cit_k

I believe under the working time regs, employers have to give a health assessment before a night shift worker starts, and at regular intervals, there are some exceptions to this (hospital work, work with seasonal demands etc etc).

Worth looking into.

Not sure off hand what the DWP regs are.

Arg

dmg24 wrote: »

I have worked night shifts. They are pretty horrid at first, but your body clock adapts pretty quickly.

Even if they affected the worker's health, how would that then affect the health of their wife and child?

A quick search on google shows there is concern about ill health and night shifts though.