Signing on

My first day to sign on I committed the cardinal sin of being late. Brief apologies and try to make light of the embarrassment. No, that doesn’t work. “We will stop your benefits if this happens again”. “Well as you aren’t paying me do I really care? In a word; NO”. My comments weren’t receive well, even less so when I offered to go home. No I can’t go home, I just have to wait with all the other sad looking individuals – sorry, we are no longer individuals with responsibilities and status, now we are reduced to a statistic.

When I am seen the interview lasts all of five minutes, “what have you done to find work in the past fortnight, have you been in paid or unpaid work in the past fortnight?” having answered “No” I sign their form and leave in less than five minutes.

Was that it? No humour, no support, no interaction or meaningful dialogue. I seem to recall Charlie Drake had more fun signing on, but that was in the days of black and white television. Colour appears to have reduced to a grey mass.

Unemployed

For those who haven’t endured this process it is not only tedious but time consuming and one comes away from the experience wondering “do these people actually know what they are doing?” I don’t think so.

After becoming unemployed one should register the very next day, or when you finally meet your interrogator they want to know why the delay, even though I only left it two working days. Not sure of the process, still in shock just don’t cut it – “well you wont get paid for the missing days” do I care? No!!!

My initial interview repeats all the information already given in a lengthy telephone conversation; don’t they talk to each other? Clearly not. After repeating all my personal details such as income, dependents, outgoings, savings qualifications the information is sent away for a decision to be made. No the local bureaucrats are not able to make that decision, more “jobs for the boys”.

 No I am not entitled to any benefits, again why can’t they tell claimants if they have more than so much saved (it clearly does not pay to save) or a pension then you wont receive anything, perhaps this is just too easy and, and this feeds my paranoia about Big Brother they wouldn’t have even more personal information about the individual.

Redundant

Like many I have recently been made redundant but the Health Service like to ease the pain by allowing me to retire early, which allows the benefit of two pay-outs. Much better that many. However and this is the rant.  I left early in May and received a phone call from my manager, which sounded as if she was eating her lunch, but time is precious and one should be grateful for some contact. Then from my last working day until I finished at the end of July no further contact. Did I smell or have a contagious disease? Who can tell certainly no one said. After my final day of employment I received my P45 in the post. No, no letter of thanks despite 33 years service and 25 years working for the same NHS Trust. It certainly made me feel unvalued and that my contribution was worthless; sadly this isn’t a rare experience, I don’t think managers consider the feelings of their colleagues but view them as a means to an end which enables them to meet their targets.

Hello world!

My wife, bless her tells me that I am rapidly becoming, or perhaps that should read have become a “Grumpy old fart”, so what better forum to spread my gloom or paranoia that WordPress.