Census Jobs

timefortea

The thing that's annoying me is the complete lack of respect for your time/the fact that you have a life outside of the census. My team manager will text during the day demanding that we count our blank forms, or properties remaining, or whatever trivial thing she needs to know for head office this time, and text her the answer by 4pm. I have a day job! Everything is at such short notice, I don't know if it's lack of planning of my team manager's part or head office throwing their weight around. My team manager went one further today and texted at around 11am that the deadline for submitting our timesheets today is 4pm, and if we don't submit by then we won't get paid next week. I was already on a family day out, expecting to submit my timesheet when I got home. The official deadline is midnight on Sunday, how can she just change it with only a few hours' notice?

Truthfully, I can't wait for this to be over with. Just one more week!

Thanet62

timefortea wrote: »

The thing that's annoying me is the complete lack of respect for your time/the fact that you have a life outside of the census.

Truthfully, I can't wait for this to be over with. Just one more week!

My sympathy's you are in the same boat. It seems the Regional Managers are pushing hard to get as close to 100% as possible, which is not going to happen for numerous reasons listed in my previous posts. I'm just looking forward to the final team meeting de-brief they have 10 years to learn some lessons for next time!! :eek:

nancykwan

No disrespect intended towards anyone who has taken these Census jobs. Everyone has to earn a bob or two.
But even now in this godforsaken surveillance state that used to be my country, it is not a crime not to answer your door.

In my experience, occurrences of unknown persons rat-tat-tatting at my door generally involve parting with money, or divulging information that results in you parting with money.

Callers strictly by appointment around here.
Those appointments are made either in writing, which I reserve the right to refuse without a reply, or they can be made by telephone.
And I'm ex-directory

Thanks for all the information about how you carry out the stasi tasks laid down to you by your Crapita/Lockheed Martin Masters, BTW.
Cheers :rotfl:

NonGeographicalMan

It seems that a lot of money is being wasted by Crapita/ONS on manpower on the ground chasing people endlessly who have no intention at all of ever replying and/or at properties that have been empty for weeks.

With those deliberately refusing to answer the door (where enquiries with neighbours etc suggest someone does live there normally) I would suggest that an offiicious looking letter in the post saying all reasonable efforts to contact the householder had now taken place and that the next step might be prosecution in the magistrates court where this is a criminal offence and the fine is up to £1000 pounds or whatever would have been far more likely to get most of the recalcitrant types to complete their census returns.

Still why would Crapita suggest that as they have obviously made far more money out of supervising this unnecessarily large job creation scheme........

NonGeographicalMan

timefortea wrote: »

My team manager went one further today and texted at around 11am that the deadline for submitting our timesheets today is 4pm, and if we don't submit by then we won't get paid next week.

Strangely enough the Capita Siftability test did have a question about precisely that scenario and whether or not you should drop everything to do just what your manager wanted or plough on with knocking in doors so that you hit your collection target. I never could decide what the right answer to that was and anyhow it was the stupid best four out of eight answers that were required as a response.

Personally I don't believe it can possibly be reasonable to expect you to submit something within only five hours on what I assume was your day off in order to get paid. Also not paying somebody just because they didn't submit a claim form in such a short time period cannot be a legitimate reason to pay somebody for work they have actually already done.

This woman is just a temp like you but probably a frustrated control freak who loves lording it over others. My suggestion would be to complain as high up the chain as you can about her actions.

pineapple

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

With those deliberately refusing to answer the door (where enquiries with neighbours etc suggest someone does live there normally) I would suggest that an offiicious looking letter in the post saying all reasonable efforts to contact the householder had now taken place and that the next step might be

I was under the impression this was a 'random' census coverage survey? Random meaning it will encounter the whole gamut of census response, from total co-operation, half *rsed co-operation to non co-operation. In fact some of those not answering may well include those filled in their census - albeit perhaps reluctantly.

It is still not an offence in this country to not answer your door. And there is certainly no legal requirement whatsoever to engage with the census coverage survey. Those who have had the courtesy to come to their door and say 'no' should be left in peace. Repeat visits constitute harrassment. And there is legal redress for this.
Maybe Capita should have organised a spot of goose stepping as part of the training. Jack boots issued on request....

Thanet62

pineapple wrote: »

It is still not an offence in this country to not answer your door. And there is certainly no legal requirement whatsoever to engage with the census coverage survey. Those who have had the courtesy to come to their door and say 'no' should be left in peace. Repeat visits constitute harrassment. And there is legal redress for this.
Maybe Capita should have organised a spot of goose stepping as part of the training. Jack boots issued on request....

Oh how I agree just got in from knocking refusals with my team leader she did manage to get 2 more but she's not 6'4 and does not look like a debt collector (I knew there was something off putting about me!).
Not really the best way to spend a Bank Holiday Monday :mad:

NonGeographicalMan

pineapple wrote: »

I was under the impression this was a 'random' census coverage survey? Random meaning it will encounter the whole gamut of census response, from total co-operation, half *rsed co-operation to non co-operation.

Wrong. Completion of the census by a household is compulsory and it is a criminal offence under the Census Act 1920 not to comply with a request to complete a return for your household.

The whole point of the census is that it is meant to cover every single household and not just the more affluent and educated households who may more readily understand why the data collected is being sought.

I hope you were not employed on this census given your complete and utter lack of understanding that it is an exercise that is meant to cover the entire UK population.

See for instance www.chiltern.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=786 or numerous similar local council web pages on completing this year's census:-

Census refusers face up to £1,000 fine

Community and living news


Published: Tuesday 10th May 2011


Census investigators go out on to the streets in England and Wales for the first time from (Wednesday May 4) targeting households who have still not filled out a census questionnaire.
Census "non-compliance" staff will begin conducting interviews under caution with householders who are refusing to fill in their census form.

Failing to make a census return is a criminal offence under the 1920 Census Act and can lead to prosecution, a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000.

Since Census Day on March 27, letters and cards reminding people that returning the census is required by law have been posted to households where there is no record of a form having been returned. The form should have been filled in and returned on 27 March or as soon as possible afterwards.

A workforce of 29,000 collectors has been visiting to offer help and support with completing the questionnaire since April 6 and leaving a reminder card with contact details where there has been no response to their call.

ONS Census Director Glen Watson said,

"We are now in the final phase of follow-up and people need to act straight away to avoid the risk of a fine. We realise people lead busy lives and completing their census might not be at the top of their 'to do' list, but the time to act is now.

"Where people refuse to complete their form a formal investigation is undertaken and they can be interviewed under caution, evidence gathered and those details passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. A court hearing, a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000 may follow".

The main weakness in the current system is that mainly for political reasons (that is that the compulsory nature of the census is sensitive and not altogether welcomed by all of the population) only those who give away their identity and are rude and abusive to census collectors tend to end up being prosecuted.

This is purely a political choice as if they operated the enforcement system like speed cameras then anybody who is down as the legally registered owner of a property on the land register could be prosecuted for non completion of the census for that address with a flat fixed penalty fine (unless they chose to court to contest it) levied unless they refused to name and reveal the current occupant(s) of the property if it did not include themselves.

Lil_Me_2

NGM - what Pineapple is saying is that the Census Coverage Survey (CCS) which is separate to the main census isn't compulsory and only covers 1% of households, not everyone.

Basically it's going round to 1% of the households (chosen by postcode) doing a mini census on the doorstep. We're expected to fill the form in ourselves with someone in the household. Response has been mixed, some did the main census and are happy to fill ours in, some begrudgingly did the census and aren't interested at all, some didn't do the census and are even less impressed with us.

The main purpose is to check no-one was missed. If we do 1% and everyone filled in the forms perfectly then great! Unfortunately it's not the case, quite a few people didn't know if they should put x,y,z on the census and so didn't and x never got included on any census. I see the need, but at the same time some householders get a bit aggrieved that we're pretty much checking that what they put down was right.

NonGeographicalMan

Lil_Me wrote: »

Basically it's going round to 1% of the households (chosen by postcode) doing a mini census on the doorstep. We're expected to fill the form in ourselves with someone in the household. Response has been mixed, some did the main census and are happy to fill ours in, some begrudgingly did the census and aren't interested at all, some didn't do the census and are even less impressed with us.

The main purpose is to check no-one was missed. If we do 1% and everyone filled in the forms perfectly then great! Unfortunately it's not the case, quite a few people didn't know if they should put x,y,z on the census and so didn't and x never got included on any census. I see the need, but at the same time some householders get a bit aggrieved that we're pretty much checking that what they put down was right.

Sorry I misunderstood what Pineapple was talking about. I thought they were talking about chasing up responses to the census to all households.

I agree that this Interview stuff is completely voluntary. So surely if someone refuses to take part you should just replace them with another person picked at random or perhaps from the street in which you got the refusal in the ED concerned.

To keep chasing the same people for Interviews as though it is compulsory sounds like a plain daft policy as you are now in the same position as a canvasser for a political party and if someone tells you never to darken their doorstep again it could be construed as harassment if you don't comply with their request.