Jobcentre public toilet facilities

fruitedeli

dickydonkin wrote: »

Really?

I would suggest you read the jobcentre plus standards and service policy where 'claimants' are certainly defined as customers.

Here is one of the laughable paragraphs from the document. Those who have had the misfortune to attend those places will undoubtedly have a wry smile on their face when they read this as this 'commitment' is just a joke.



Hmmm- Friendly, fair, helpful, professional and respectful - for those who have attended a job centre, you decide if they have fulfilled their commitment to their CUSTOMERS.

The job centre's purpose is to screen claimants before allowing them money, and to sanction when they fail to meet requirements set by the advisors in accordance to their rules. Their customers are tax payers, and Government, but certainly not the JSA claimants. You've read their being nice to customers bit right. Now learn to assess who the customers actually are.

Just look at the respect your privacy part. Job centres are constructed to be open plan where privacy cannot be expected unless claimants and advisors deliberately whisper.

melysion

WestonDave wrote: »

Call it preparation for work! You'll probably be expected to be able to concentrate on your work for 2 hours at a time without nipping off to the loo every five minutes so its good practice!

"Preparation for work". "Good practice". It might surprise you but most JSA claimants have had worked in the past and therefore don't need training on appropriate toileting habits in the work environment! And in any case, I certainly have access to a toilet at work which I can use whenever I need to. Not providing them for job seekers is ridiculous.

melysion

I find it extraordinary that people are discussing the merits of whether a JSA claimant should have access to a toilet when on a course at s job centre. Almost speechless.

J_i_m

melysion wrote: »

I find it extraordinary that people are discussing the merits of whether a JSA claimant should have access to a toilet when on a course at s job centre. Almost speechless.

I agree, it's a rediculous debate.

It could actually be needlessly disruptive, if someone has to waste 10 minutes or more simply getting to a toilet during a training session, wouldn't it make better senses to permit use of the facilities on site?

If you were a construction foreman, what would be more productive? Having toilets available to use on site or expecting staff to travel to the nearest supermarket to use the conveniences? Obviously it's the former.. and this is backed up with the presence of temporary "Portoloos".

A job seeker may not be paying for this training, it may be a mandatory requirement to qualify for their job seeker allowance payment but they are in effect recieving a service from the organisation and therefore (however loosely) can be described as a customer.

And using the term "customer" to determine who can use a toilet is again very shaky ground. Would you expect a security staff to barr your access to the toilets in ASDA and say "sorry mate, you can't use that unless you buy something". I would hazard a guess that you probably wouldn't.

The only really justifiable reason I can think of for deneying access to a toilet in the situation described in the OP, is if that toilet is actually located in an out of bounds area already inaccessible them.

Considering how these job seekers are already "inside" whilst attending these traing courses, it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect access to the toilet. It's not like they're trying to access a confidential filing cabinet afterall.

melysion

It's just another stick to hit them with as far as I am concerned. People claiming JSA are simply not entitled to access a loo in the same way as the "tax payer" apparently. (Shakes head with disbelief). I know it's a shocking concept to some of my fellow tax payers but JSA claimants are human beings too and have the same rights as everybody else - and for the most part do not require training on how to control their toileting habits in the workplace.

dickydonkin

fruitedeli wrote: »

The job centre's purpose is to screen claimants before allowing them money, and to sanction when they fail to meet requirements set by the advisors in accordance to their rules.

You have assumed that the job centre's purpose is to screen claimants before allowing them money - you have not considered that many people who attend those places are not entitled to anything - I was one such person.

I had paid enough NI contributions for my state pension and I actually went in there to look for a job. My experiences were not good - I was always being told that I did not have to attend (to maintain targets I expect) and the staff just looked down their noses at you. Take note Durham job centre - it's you I am referring to.

I fully appreciate that they have to deal with some complete wasters - I saw plenty of those - but if they don't like dealing with these sort of people - or any of their 'customers' for that matter, they should consider a career change - although I suspect that many would not get employed in the private sector anyway.

J_i_m

dickydonkin wrote: »

although I suspect that many would not get employed in the private sector anyway.

I suspect many would end up being on the opposite side of the job centre desk and denied access to a toilet.

Which would make for wonderful if cruel sense of poetic irony

noelphobic

fruitedeli wrote: »

The job centre's purpose is to screen claimants before allowing them money, and to sanction when they fail to meet requirements set by the advisors in accordance to their rules. Their customers are tax payers, and Government, but certainly not the JSA claimants. You've read their being nice to customers bit right. Now learn to assess who the customers actually are.

Just look at the respect your privacy part. Job centres are constructed to be open plan where privacy cannot be expected unless claimants and advisors deliberately whisper.

JSA claimants are the customers. Tax payers (unless they are also claimants) and the Government aren't. Job centre staff are employed by the Government and by tax payers. They provide a service (although by many accounts not a good one) to job seekers. Job seekers are therefore their customers.

crosslegs

Of course they should provide suitable facilities if they are going to set up learning classes in their offices. This is 2014 and they're not supposed to be punishing their 'customers' who pay their wages by refusing toilet access.
Next thing it will be 'sorry we don't provide chairs anymore bring your own if you don't want to sit on the floor'.
The managers of these centres need to be taken to task for introducing petty rules which probably contravene some law or other.
If they are so concerned about public access or security they should hold the numeracy and literacy compulsory classes at a proper facility, such as a local college, instead of trying to do it on the cheap.

J_i_m

I don't think it contravenes any law or anything. But it's daft, unreasonable and ultimately unproductive.