Sunday 4 May 2014

Getting into work.

So? How did it go?

I hear all of none of you asking that question, forgetting the post from last week or something that i was getting myself back into work. First week for me is complete and with some rather suprising results i must admit.

Firstly, i love being back in work. I love being able to work out how much pay i'm getting in and it being over £100 for the week. I loved learning the role and doing it was quite good fun too... i'll tell you about that later, but yeah, it's gone well... only... i managed to get an injury, resulting in me having to take 3 days off.

Basically the work involves for the most part, lifting and moving items, which in some cases can be very heavy and at some big heights too. So of course i've gone in, started doing it, even done overtime and then my back has simply had enough, making it difficult for me to walk and.... well... everything. Don't get me wrong, i'm not about to quit or anything, but it is a reminder that i am quite a weak person, so it's given me a nice little reminder to strengthen my body up more than it already is, since lets face a fact here, there's people of all ages doing this job and they're doing it fine, so why shouldn't i be able to do it?

So, what is the job?

Well, i'm not going to give you the details of the employer, but it's a large supermarket retailer and my role is to sort the items out. So, say for example they have had a delivery of 100 onions, my job is then to take the 100 onions and ensure that the right amount goes off to the right store.... get the idea?

The work is mostly done through an audio headset system, so you're talking to the system and it tells you what shop to go to next and how many to drop off, which of course is quite a novelty for me, so i'm enjoying that side of it too.... plus they have the radio playing through the building all day, so the few minutes you have spare you can be humming along to the song, and i say humming along, thats all you can do as the system for me thinks i'm telling it a command when infact, i'm telling it to suck on my toe because fuck you, for this song, i AM pink and raising my glass.

What about the hours?

It's full time work and of course for the first week i've been in training which has meant doing 10-6 shifts. Going from such a long time of no work to full time hours is abit of a shock on the system. Of course i had friends who for the first few days would be ringing/texting or even visiting me to see how it'd gone and sort of, help me along the way... but all the time in the back of your mind you're thinking "omg, i just want to go to bed".

As for future hours, i don't know what they are or will be, i know they can be anytime from 6am until midnight because thats when they are open, but i've... and this is a shocking bit right here so make sure you're sat down... i've asked to do the 6am-2pm shifts, just because after thinking about it, i'd have the rest of the day then to go and get shopping etc... just get on with life without the constant thought of "shit, i'm going to be late for work".

 How supportive have the job centre plus been?

Well, i'll be honest here... The staff that i've had contact with have been over the moon, literally made up for me, giving me congrats on getting into work, wishing me the best and of course saying (meaning well) that they hope to not have to see me again. However, the processes at the job centre make no sense.

Example 1, i started work on a tuesday, which is 2 days before my usual sign-on day at the job centre, meaning when i closed my claim with them, i had about £100 still to collect from my usual payment, so i called first thing on the wednesday morning when i knew i was going to like the role and be sticking with it. So the payment for that will be sent to me in due course.... that's fine. But remember years ago the job centre used to give you money for getting into work, well, not anymore they don't. I presume that the money is being sent to companies who are taking people on with temp work and don't have to pay their wages either. So like now, i can work on the bank holiday monday, but i have no money to get to and from the work, so i have to wait until tuesday when the money will be cleared into my account, which is just horrible and of course having an impact on my wages too.

Example 2, on the monday, the day before i was due to start work, i was STILL expected to go to a training course to help me look for work.... why? I KNEW i was starting work, but yet, was still expected to go. Needless to say, i didn't attend for the day and started work on the tuesday, and for the first time ever, i think because i signed off, the job centre didn't sanction me!

Example 3, you're not paid enough money to actually get into work. While yes, you're provided with £70 something a week, it isn't enough to pay bills AND get you into work until your first pay cheque comes in, basically, leaving you fucked if you're paid monthly (and luckily, i'm not).

So in essence, no, the job centre do not help you into work, they want you to find work, but that's it.

As for my working future.... well, i don't know. I know the work is temp but ongoing, basically meaning if there's not as much work to be done, my hours will either be cut or i'll not be called in at all.... but that's the way it is even if you're employed by the retailer in question, until you're taken on, on a perm basis (ie, people leaving and you take their place). I'm excited for the future and i know my next years wages are already mentally spent, but, time will tell what happens.

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