The Work Programme New Thread

donnajunkie

LadyMissA wrote: »

So why didn't you?

get on the wrong side of them and they will look for ways to get you sanctioned.

LadyMissA

donnajunkie wrote: »

get on the wrong side of them and they will look for ways to get you sanctioned.

No they wont! How is asking is this the best they can suggest going to get you sactioned. Have some guts and speak up!

wantsajob

LadyMissA wrote: »

2. Some Psychometric tests are fixed. One question I think for Primark was something like 'if I a customer comes up to you and says "do you have this t shirt in a size 12" what would your answer/course of action be'

Well I have worked for House of Fraser, Harrods and Bentalls in my time so I think what I was always taught & did there but that is the WRONG answer for somewhere like Primark as they just want £££ in the till and not to be wasting time tryin to source that t shirt in that size. Sell them something else.
You therefore fail the test as this is not what they are looking for. It's not cause I have put the wrong answer, it's the wrong one for their company.

Raises the question - why take this approach to selecting employees, when you could just as easily make it part of the training?!

Peculiar thing is as a customer in that situation, I'd end up walking out the door buying nothing. If there's something I want to buy, I don't want to be shown something else entirely.

LadyMissA

wantsajob wrote: »

Raises the question - why take this approach to selecting employees, when you could just as easily make it part of the training?!

Peculiar thing is as a customer in that situation, I'd end up walking out the door buying nothing. If there's something I want to buy, I don't want to be shown something else entirely.

It wasnt even for a shop floor job but a job in the cashiers office!! LOL

Also Primark is not that kind of shop. People are not really going in there to buy a specific item , more like anything they see. The clothes are so cheap it will not be cost effective to get items transfered in from other branches like Dept stores do for you.

imatt

Incorrect - providing courses means they get money. Money is all they're interested in. Bums in seats = money.

I never mentioned courses, did I? That said, what courses ARE provided then? If any other than basic H&S and first aid courses (which can be done anywhere) are provided, they must be a rarity. Where are the IT courses for example. Bums on seats may mean money. So does offering a bog-standard, lowest common denominator, one sis fits all service.

I stand by what I originally said. Too many advisors do NOT know how to adequately deal with clients who have a college or university level education and those with more experience than they do. This leads to some clients not beeing seen for weeks on end due to their 'advisor' not having a clue how to help them.

LadyMissA

imatt wrote: »

I never mentioned courses, did I? That said, what courses ARE provided then? If any other than basic H&S and first aid courses (which can be done anywhere) are provided, they must be a rarity. Where are the IT courses for example. Bums on seats may mean money. So does offering a bog-standard, lowest common denominator, one sis fits all service.

I stand by what I originally said. Too many advisors do NOT know how to adequately deal with clients who have a college or university level education and those with more experience than they do. This leads to some clients not beeing seen for weeks on end due to their 'advisor' not having a clue how to help them.

My appointments are the guy clicking in the same tasks to be repeated, he prints it off, I sign it and then I claim travel and go home. 1hr 10 mins to get there for a 7 min appointment.

I have asked them to show me what they can do for me when I next go to see them and if they still say there is nothing I am going to file an official complaint. It's not agains the guy I see as he only works there but the MD and Ops director put bids in to the Gov to help the unemployed yet are not helping me as they can not make someone interview me or take me on. They have said time and time again they have no power.

donnajunkie

LadyMissA wrote: »

No they wont! How is asking is this the best they can suggest going to get you sactioned. Have some guts and speak up!

i didnt mean i would get sanctioned for saying that. they would just develop an attitude and start telling me i have to do all sorts of crap knowing that alot of people snap and give them a reason to sanction. they may even use dodgy tactics.

looby75

donnajunkie wrote: »

i didnt mean i would get sanctioned for saying that. they would just develop an attitude and start telling me i have to do all sorts of crap knowing that alot of people snap and give them a reason to sanction. they may even use dodgy tactics.

the JC are well aware of how useless the WP is if my JC are anything to go by.

In fact my JC seem to resent the fact that the WP are seen as the "key" to getting people jobs and are frustrated that people aren't getting results from them.

They aren't in any kind of conspiracy. If you read between the lines people who work for the DWP are worried about their own jobs being threatened by the WP providers. (and I've had this stated to me directly by someone who works as a JC advisor)

EndlessStruggle

I've been with the work programme for about a yearish, I had a lovely adviser to start with who would see me in the local town rather than at their main office. He was friendly, helpful and helped me apply for realistic jobs. He then sadly got made redundant as did a lot of the staff in their office, every few months the staff seem to change! Around this time I got a job for 6/7 months. I went back to my first meeting today at their inconveniently located office, my new adviser is a nice lady and seems to be on my wavelength we spent an hour and a half chatting and me looking at some jobs. She did get me an interview a few weeks ago but sadly I was very ill and unable to go. The only problem I have is that I don't feel like I need to go every fortnight to do nothing more than a 5 minute chat and a jobsearch that I do every single day! I don't feel like I need babysitting! I will read back this thread but I guess a lot of you feel the same.

She's also said that she can't really help me that much, I graduated with Law Deg in 2008, have only managed to get a job with one company temping on and off and have done some voluntary work, am going to apply for some more after my holiday in June. She also said I am doing all that I should so still I don't know why I need to keep taking a whole day to go do something I can do in an hour, a 5 minute phone call to her and the rest on a jobsearch...

From the 2 visits to the main office I can see I am definitely not their usual client. My last adviser told me out of all the clients he was seeing I was the only one he would consider ready for work..

LadyMissA

donnajunkie wrote: »

i didnt mean i would get sanctioned for saying that. they would just develop an attitude and start telling me i have to do all sorts of crap knowing that alot of people snap and give them a reason to sanction. they may even use dodgy tactics.

Wrong again. I have been told that we can't get our travel till 11am but I am exempt from that. How did I manage that? I spoke up!! My travel is going to be paid out to me at 9,15am and I can go home and other have to stay to do a job search till it gets to 11am. Not fair at all as those who come in at 10.30 will probably not have to stay at all and those at 9 or 9.15 etc will have to stay near on 1h 45 mins and me...........well I just go home