Work Programme Provider Issues

Claire_MUFC

Hi everyone,

I've been with my Work Programme provider since September last year. Been totally comfortable with the advisor that I've had, been the same one I've seen all the time. This was part of what made the Work Programme appeal to me in the first place - that the provider states in their book their is a continuity of advisor (unless obviously they leave or something).

Anyway, I went in for an appointment on Tuesday to which my advisor suggests potentially 'utilising' another advisor. I listened to his views, but said that this wasn't something I really wanted. I am on tablets for social anxiety, and swapping me to someone else will not be beneficial to me.

This morning, I get an email through from the manager of my provider saying that after reviewing facts he's been given, I will no longer be seeing the same advisor, they have put me with someone else who I do not wish to see. His reasons for this are that I wasn't apparently doing what I was meant to in branch with my advisor, but then this one shocked me - inappropriate behaviour !!

I emailed him back asking for clarification exactly what this inappropriate behaviour was supposed to be and get this in reply:

The inappropriate behaviour relates to your contact with (advisor), your determination to just work with him, and your refusal to work with another advisor. I have a duty of care to him and thus need to distance you from him.

Now this shocked me:
1. Contact with my advisor - ok so I may have gone a bit overboard on using email to ask questions about stuff I didn't understand rather than raising it with my advisor in appointments. This was due to the way there was one advisor either side of mine, and in appointments it felt like I was speaking to them as well as him. So if I didn't understand something, I would then bring it up in email. Ok, maybe I should have brought it up in appointments, but does this really constitute enough of a reason to suddenly switch advisors ?

2. My determination to work with just him - continuity is an important part of this whole process for me, as explained above. Ok, if they leave then that can't be helped. But if your advisor is still there and you have your reasons for it being easier to see the same one, should they try to accommodate this if the advisor is still there ?

3. My refusal to work with another advisor - swapping me to someone else is something I have stated would not be beneficial to me and would instead move me ten step backwards as we have to start all over again. Social anxiety in to play with it being a whole new person to start with.


I just really did not like the fact this manager has said inappropriate behaviour is a reason they have changed me, as I wouldn't class the above really as that ?

They want me to go in for a meeting with them on Tuesday to resolve the issue, but I don't see where that is going to get us. Will be going round in the same circles. This manager has flat out said he refuses to consider still seeing my current advisor as an option. Didn't like the way he spoke to me in his emails at all, surely they are meant to help the customers concerns not make them worse.

Just wanted to see what everyone else thinks of this. Thank you.

Caroline_a

Having done a similar job to your advisor, sometimes clients do get quite attached to their advisor. This can come across as anything from over-friendly to quite simply creepy! It sounds as if whatever you were doing, has made your advisor feel uncomfortable - even though you may not have meant it. Unfortunately in that situation it will be more about the advisor's perception rather than yours, hence why the manager has stepped in.

If I were you I would treat this as a learning experience. If your jobsearch is successful you will need to interact with lots of new people, and so the new advisor should be looked at as one of the new people.

Additionally I would ask for a meeting with the manager to ask which particular aspects of your behaviour was felt to be inappropriate so that you can avoid doing this again. You may have meant nothing, but if it made your old advisor feel uncomfortable, then it will be something to be avoided in the future, particularly when you start work.

Thomas_Hardy

Excellent advice from Caroline_a.

Give the new advisor a chance, they may be really helpful.

Claire_MUFC

Hi

Just to let everyone know, I am feeling a bit better about this situation now. Work Programme provider wanted me to attend a meeting on Tuesday with my new advisor and the branch manager, which I wasn't happy doing. Said I didn't feel comfortable attending the office as my old advisor is still in there, no way to avoid seeing him, and it feels like I've done something majorly wrong and that moving to a new advisor is something being done as a punishment rather than to help.

This morning, my old advisor phoned me to confirm the meeting time and said that I am not actually in trouble here or anything. And that I can also bring a friend to the meeting on Tuesday if it would help.

Spoke to head office and the branch manager who both said this is definately nothing that my advisor has against me personally, he just feels it would be the best way to help me progress. They said had he had any problems personally with me he would not have taken time out of his appointments to phone me.

They said their intention was never to upset me.in any way, and that is why instead of just sending me a letter with a new advisor on they have arranged a meeting on Tuesday to discuss my concerns moving to a new advisor, discuss my progress so far and come up with an action plan to move me forward.

At the meeting their will be my new advisor and my existing advisor to enable a smooth handover.