Job Centre Work Search Appointments resume next week

Tarquin Flotsam wrote:Also I will fight them on absolutely everything if that everything is something I do not find acceptable in any way. If I'm asked to do something reasonable, no problem, I'll do it. Also, not once have I lost when I've taken them to task. Sure I'll probably be marked as a troublesome claimant, sure they might try to make life a bit harder for me (like daily appointments) but as long as I'm not in the wrong they'll never win. Just because we're out of work there is no need to treat anyone like a piece of shite, which unfortunately I've been witness to too many times.

I think we're beginning to find some common ground here and I absolutely agree, there is no need to treat anyone like a piece of shit and I'm sure it happens a lot in jobcentres which is unforgivable. Those people shouldn't be in the job! I think where we probably differ is our definition of 'reasonable'. I could be wrong but from the information I have based on your posts in this topic you are reluctant (or flat out refuse) to use the online journal? I assume this is down to paranoia based on a previous bad experience?

It's not a big deal for me to use the journal and me using it makes my life easier and I've never had any trouble. It takes me 10 mins a week to use it to satisfy my work coach not a problem.Now the second I had a whiff of any potential problems, or work coaches being a dick about it I would then go about it in a different way. But until then the advantages outweigh the problems.

You say "they'll never win" but in your history of claiming how many times have you been sanctioned? Even if you've later appealed against it successfully it's still temporarily ruined your life. How many times have they made you go in daily signing, weekly signing? Made you go on a nonsense course? My quiet life tactic has worked for me in avoiding all of this. Thats all I'm saying. You can play along with their requests, you don't have to agree.

parker123 wrote:You say "they'll never win" but in your history of claiming how many times have you been sanctioned?

Once, and it was overturned within a week.

parker123 wrote:How many times have they made you go in daily signing, weekly signing?

Once, then I requested a successful transfer to another nearby jobcentre.

parker123 wrote:Made you go on a nonsense course?

Never. They tried many times but failed.

Does anyone know when referrals will start again for the Work and Health Programme? Obviously due to the pandemic, they are on hold, but now that lockdowns are easing will they start again?

parker123 wrote:

Yep I had the same message a while back, it's just a generic thing don't worry about it.

Honestly all these phone conversations with work coaches are a load of nonsense really - they only contact us because they have to, most of them genuinely dont care how much job searching and applications we do, as long as they can see SOMETHING and youre not completely taking the piss by avoiding doing anything.

I treat it as one big game  and split it into two things- 1) I do all my job searching and applications for the benefit of me, things that I genuinely want to do or wouldn't mind doing, and 2) Show them some evidence of job applications so they know I'm trying

Unless youre unfortunate to get a jobsworth work coach this is the approach I'd always reccomend.

I had my first phone interview with them last week. The woman on the phone said that she only had 10 minutes for each interview, and was working from home, with a backlog of people to phone that day. So I kept her talking for ten minutes, asking about how covid is affecting the running of Jobcentres, and how long it will be before we can sign on in person again. This gave her little time to scrutinise my job searching evidence. I suggest we all just keep them talking.