Benefits for "normal" people

CWSmith

I couldn't think of a more accurate title, sorry!

I would like to ask about benefits on behalf of a friend/employee. I've read through loads of posts on this board, but I haven't a clue about how benefits work - I don't even know what the abbreviations mean.

Anyhow, my husband runs a small social club, employing a friend as a barmaid. This is not a great situation - the friend turns up late, goes home early and spends a great deal of time outside smoking. We only keep her on because we know her financial situation is precarious, and because her family are friends.

Her husband has just lost his job through his own fault. They are paying the mortgage on their own home and have no young dependants - they have a 19 year old daughter living at home who hasn't kept a job for more than 4 weeks since she left school and is again, unemployed.

We are moving soon and will be handing over the running of the social club to others. Our barmaid (knowing her easy life will be over when we go) says she is going to resign then and thinks she will then be eligible for enough benefits to live on.

Would this be the case? What sort of help would they be entitled to, if any?

We think she will be making a huge mistake, but there is no convincing her, so maybe we have it wrong.

Indie_Kid

If she resigns, she may not be entitled to JSA for a while.

CWSmith

Would she not be expected to get another job at some point?

At the moment, she lives across the road from the club, she works from 7pm to 11pm, 4 nights a week - it's easy work, rarely very busy and if it is busy, she invariably goes sick.

Could she not find herself being obliged to take, for example, a 9-5, 5 days a week job if it is offered to her?

She reckons she cannot be made to take a job she doesn't want. We reckon she doesn't know when she is well off.

seven-day-weekend

AFAIK, if she is under retirement age and physically fit, she will be expected to look for, and take, any suitable job up to 40 hours a week and up to 1.5 hours travelling distance. She can be sanctioned for not looking hard enough or for refusing a suitable (by Jobcentre standards) job.

If she resigns for no good reason or is sacked, she may have her JSA sanctioned and not receive anything at all for a while.

CWSmith

Thank you. I anticipated the situation would be something like that.

jacques_chirac

Out of interest, what type of people do you class as "not normal"?

StormyWeather_2

As a lone parent, I have to look for full time m-f jobs. But if I find something 16 hours+ I'd be on tax credits and the job centre won't have any say in what I do. I think a couple have to do 24 hours between them, but I'm not sure if it's more for those without dependent children.

Why are you so concerned about this person? And yes, what is normal?

duchy

Maybe employers who give jobs to people who take excessive breaks and go sick whenever it get busy instead of to someone who would do a good job and would love to not be unemployed are normal in the OP's world.Takes all sorts to make a world after all.

CWSmith

jacques_chirac wrote: »

Out of interest, what type of people do you class as "not normal"?

That was probably a bad choice of word, but I couldn't think of another off the top of my head.:o

What I meant was, people without disability, health or social issues or other valid reasons for claiming benefits.

CWSmith

StormyWeather wrote: »

As a lone parent, I have to look for full time m-f jobs. But if I find something 16 hours+ I'd be on tax credits and the job centre won't have any say in what I do. I think a couple have to do 24 hours between them, but I'm not sure if it's more for those without dependent children.

Why are you so concerned about this person? And yes, what is normal?

They have been friends for years, and we know they have debts and she would struggle with any other job. And yes, this is could well be our fault for letting her get away with so much for so long.

I don't want to see them destitute, on the other hand I do want to tell her to "get real" as far as benefits are concerned.

Indie_Kid

CWSmith wrote: »

She reckons she cannot be made to take a job she doesn't want. We reckon she doesn't know when she is well off.

She's wrong. If she's not qualified, she can't be forced to take a job which requires that qualification. But she can't refuse a job without good reason. Doing so will risk a sanction.