Unemployed to be given 'attitude tests' by Job Centres

pmduk

This all sounds like a kneejerk response to assuage the forthcoming party conference. JCP have enough problems dealing with facts, they'll never manage to accurately assess attitudes.

BigAunty

Unemployment... is now seen as a problem of individual psychology rather than social and economic organisation. ...unemployment has come to be understood as a problem of individual incapacity and community attitudes and culture, rather than of social organisation.

In some ways, this takes us back to the old idea of poverty as a moral failing (or in this instance a psychological failing) rather than as a social problem.

http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/8632#.VAxod2P4Jeo

[There has been] the naturalisation of unemployment. In recent decades, particularly from the 1980s onwards, unemployment has been transformed from a political issue – where an individual was being denied the right or ability to earn a wage – into a mental- or physical-health concern. Unemployment has been turned from a political category defining a person’s inferior relationship with society into almost a state of mind, a natural state of affairs for certain individuals who are simply incapable of working.

Unemployment tends now to be seen as something that springs from a lack within the individual rather than a lack within society.


http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/7074#.VAxpTWP4Jeo

Wozzie

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

Where have I said that those that want to work should be docked?

I am purely only talking about those that are workshy, nothing else.

And how would you tell the difference between those who want to work and those who don't? You can't, so you just hassle everyone on the assumption that these people are significant enough in number to make it worth while.

When I signed on almost 6 months ago I was told that I should make sure I collect proof of my jobsearch activity to make sure I can prove I'm going to interviews and stuff. When I enquired as to the best way to prove I went to an interview she suggested I print out any correspondence informing me of the interview and get the interviewer to sign it.

The prospect of losing benefits and falling behind on rent is daunting enough that you just do whatever you have to in order to protect that, I didn't like the idea of getting interviewers to sign !!!! saying that I had attended the interview but figured if it had to be done it had to be done.

Needless to say I no longer do this because it is the most counter productive thing you can do. You're spending all this time making yourself presentable, polishing your CV to perfection and rehearsing potential answers to common questions to create the best impression you possibly can, so why would you potentially ruin all of that by making the interviewer (or roleplay/assessment/gladiator style obstacle course supervisor) doubt your motives for being there?

Since I stopped doing this about a month ago I've been getting much better feedback which has lead to potential opportunities.

Do you think my "advisor" gives a crap? Or do you think she's just going to say "Prove it!" so she can tick a box which only exists to sate people like you who I might add are just one bad day away from being in the exact same situation getting all the harassment and scorn you support.

You can complain that you've worked all your life up to this point, you can tell them how badly you want to work, you can tell them about your wealth of qualifications and experience and none of it will mean anything because you're scum now.

You are now signing on and will be treated far more harshly and with more scrutiny than the people you would call "workshy" because the people you would call "workshy" are typically people who have recently been kicked off incapacity benefit because "They look alright to me!", have undiagnosed disabilities, substance abuse issues, issues with literacy and numeracy or are kids out of college/university who have never worked probably don't need to work and don't know who the hell they are nevermind what they're meant to be doing. In the eyes and minds of the people who work in jobcentres they have an excuse, you don't.

JSA is £70 a week, how could anyone afford to be workshy? Running a house and trying to actively look for work on £70 a week feels like steering a sinking ship and you're just hoping to get to port before it's too late.

Takeaway_Addict

Wozzie wrote: »

And how would you tell the difference between those who want to work and those who don't? You can't, so you just hassle everyone on the assumption that these people are significant enough in number to make it worth while.

When I signed on almost 6 months ago I was told that I should make sure I collect proof of my jobsearch activity to make sure I can prove I'm going to interviews and stuff. When I enquired as to the best way to prove I went to an interview she suggested I print out any correspondence informing me of the interview and get the interviewer to sign it.

The prospect of losing benefits and falling behind on rent is daunting enough that you just do whatever you have to in order to protect that, I didn't like the idea of getting interviewers to sign !!!! saying that I had attended the interview but figured if it had to be done it had to be done.

Needless to say I no longer do this because it is the most counter productive thing you can do. You're spending all this time making yourself presentable, polishing your CV to perfection and rehearsing potential answers to common questions to create the best impression you possibly can, so why would you potentially ruin all of that by making the interviewer (or roleplay/assessment/gladiator style obstacle course supervisor) doubt your motives for being there?

Since I stopped doing this about a month ago I've been getting much better feedback which has lead to potential opportunities.

Do you think my "advisor" gives a crap? Or do you think she's just going to say "Prove it!" so she can tick a box which only exists to sate people like you who I might add are just one bad day away from being in the exact same situation getting all the harassment and scorn you support.

You can complain that you've worked all your life up to this point, you can tell them how badly you want to work, you can tell them about your wealth of qualifications and experience and none of it will mean anything because you're scum now.

You are now signing on and will be treated far more harshly and with more scrutiny than the people you would call "workshy" because the people you would call "workshy" are typically people who have recently been kicked off incapacity benefit because "They look alright to me!", have undiagnosed disabilities, substance abuse issues, issues with literacy and numeracy or are kids out of college/university who have never worked probably don't need to work and don't know who the hell they are nevermind what they're meant to be doing. In the eyes and minds of the people who work in jobcentres they have an excuse, you don't.

JSA is £70 a week, how could anyone afford to be workshy? Running a house and trying to actively look for work on £70 a week feels like steering a sinking ship and you're just hoping to get to port before it's too late.

So you don't believe there are people out there playing the system? Very naive if you don't.

I don't think this government could run this proposal successfully so it shouldn't go ahead, that said those that are playing the system shouldn't be given the money and if a good accurate system could be applied then it should.

pmduk

Wonder how long before Dayman's back under an AE?

Lith

These b0ll0ck tests... won't last... (it just seems the gov are thinking of !!!!!! to do all the time for JSA people..)

God only knows... what type of course/tests there are in 10 years....

They should just scrap the JSA and only have Child Benefit/Housing Benefit and Disabled Benefit.

Viberduo

FBaby wrote: »

Don't know what is funny about this at all, many many people who have sleep problems do this every day and would never question the irony of it!

I was waiting for a response along these lines, when I say sleep problems I mean I phyiscally feel sick and almost faint a lot(maybe due to hormone level which I found out I have been low on for years if not longer) even with a good amount of sleep, hey I could sleep 10-12 hours a day and still feel like I am barely awake so when I had jobs in past I used to sleep about 10 hours a day and still barely make it out of bed in morning, even when I had things like a free holiday with family or a open day somewhere which handed out loads of freebies I could barely get out of bed.

What I meant by my comment was the person knew I struggled to get out of bed(and that I had good references from past employers despite that) to the point as I say I almost fainted, I also had my heart beating fast and had to hold onto side of things to not fall over and even after being awake a hour or so I had to hold onto stuff to not fall over, also I could wake up "easier" with next to no sleep i.e after 2 hours sleep I may get woken by a loud noise and then be unable to get back to sleep but unless I had at least 8 hours sleep(even 7 I felt bad) I wanted to throw up or faint and had a upset stomach, I also have that if I go to bed early and its still dark when I get up since darkness makes me feel even sicker and dizzier, even now when it gets dark I pretty much fall asleep straight away even if its dark at 4pm and I slept 14 hours and woke up at 1pm and my heart beats fast when its dark.

topaztiger1983 wrote: »

Yes but this person is asking in another thread about getting into work, so obviously it ain't that bad, is it

All I am saying is that not all depressed, unemployed people are 'unemployable', everyone is employable, they just have to find their level, thats all

Some people have delusions of grandeur and think that the only time they will work is if it is good for them, life ain't like that, sometimes you have to take a crap job to eventually get a better one, you ain't always gonna get a great job fist time, your not gonna get a great job without experience these days

Crap jobs can be your stepping stone to better jobs in the future, once you have more experience. I did not aspire to work at KFC, but I do aspire to be a chef, so KFC is my stepping stone to a better job

So all in all, experience counts for everything in the world of work thesedays

I am physically capable of work but not mentally capable long term of it due to state of mind, and one person finding work to be be a positive in their mind can psh another person down further, as for my work experience I have worked in factories twice, call centres 3 times, shops 3 times and office twice so I have experience its just that I have not the capability to handle stress, plus I live in a area of limited work available, not no work available and good transport links, I recently moved from a area which was tourist based so at start of every year jobs were available but in such high demand and even then many were taken by people who took same job every year that the chances of getting it were slim, I still applied for them though just like I applied for part time work in card shops, coffee places, etc. places like KFC hardly ever advertise and again when I applied for them I was turned down.

I have good qualifications, I am a very hard worker but I am awful at selling myself plus have low self esteem that needs treated to help me back into work as I have little goals about getting high up in a workplace I just want a full time job where I am not struggling to make ends meet.

mro

Morglin wrote: »

"Benefits claimants will undergo interviews to assess whether they have a psychological resistance to work, the employment minister reveals today.


Unemployed people will be subject to attitude profiling to judge whether they are “determined”, “bewildered” or “despondent” about taking a job, under plans prepared by Esther McVey.



Those that are less mentally prepared for life at work will be subject to more intensive coaching at the job centre, while those who are optimistic – such as graduates or those who have recently been made redundant – while be placed on less rigorous regimes.


Interviewers will assess jobseekers’ attitudes, behavioural norms and levels of self-belief by asking them to describe what they regard as the “risks of going to work”, the “value of work” and how confident they are of finding a job.


This will be combined with a profile on their background, looking at whether they come from a troubled family, whether their spouse will help them in looking for a job and when they last worked.


A pilot is taking place in three job centres at the moment, and if successful it will be subjected to a voluntary trial involving 27,000 jobseekers in 27 cities, which will assess whether the tests can accurately predict whether someone will take a job.
Ms McVey said she expects the test to be a “de rigeur” part of the process of signing on for benefits.


It is likely to be used to select candidates for the work programme, under which claimants have to work in order to receive benefits. It will also be used to recruit to a new scheme obliging the long-term unemployed to spend 35 hours a week at the Jobcentre as they learn to write cover letters and sit interviews."



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11078359/Welfare-claimants-to-get-attitude-tests-employment-minister-reveals.html


Lin :think:

Sounds like someone has sold the latest quack nonsense theory to the DWP & minister, who is looking for something, the latest gimmick programme, to feed to the media, of course with associated solution which they can provide.

topaztiger1983

Viberduo wrote: »

I am physically capable of work but not mentally capable long term of it due to state of mind, and one person finding work to be be a positive in their mind can psh another person down further, as for my work experience I have worked in factories twice, call centres 3 times, shops 3 times and office twice so I have experience its just that I have not the capability to handle stress, plus I live in a area of limited work available, not no work available and good transport links, I recently moved from a area which was tourist based so at start of every year jobs were available but in such high demand and even then many were taken by people who took same job every year that the chances of getting it were slim, I still applied for them though just like I applied for part time work in card shops, coffee places, etc. places like KFC hardly ever advertise and again when I applied for them I was turned down.

I have good qualifications, I am a very hard worker but I am awful at selling myself plus have low self esteem that needs treated to help me back into work as I have little goals about getting high up in a workplace I just want a full time job where I am not struggling to make ends meet.

I had problems with self esteem, and all I am saying is that everyone has the ability to work in some capacity or another thats all

I am sure that you will find something that is good for you, it's just a case of working out what you can do & what you can't

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) can also help with the stress, most of the situations that you find stressful are probably not that stressful if you think about them differently, My psychologist told me about CBT, & it has helped me with depression, anxiety, low self-worth, low self-esteem & stress, thinking differently can be the key to feeling better