Saturday 3 July 2010
Fairy Jobmother
I was speculating about the possible shelving of Emma Harrison's Channel 4 programme, "The Wager". Well blow me down, there's a programme on the channel on 13 July called "The Fairy Jobmother", starring Hayley Taylor. You remember Hayley. She was the A4e employee in the first episode of "Benefit Busters" whose techniques for motivating lone parents to get jobs caused some controversy. We then heard that she'd left A4e. In the new programme she takes on a young unemployed couple in Middlesborough. And then, apparently, she's off to the US to repeat the process, according to a reality show casting site. Does this mean that Hayley's programme has replaced Emma's?
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I suspect you could be right about Hayley replacing Emma. Let's face it, if your were a TV producer which one would you pick?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait, loved her in "Benefit Busters" A4e, your days are numbered!! Hayley or Emma? is there really a choice?
ReplyDeleteSigh!!! Almost sick of these programs as they produce more heat than light, i.e. offering a patronising tone wilst not offering real, solid solutions. We have had Benefit Bustsers (C4), Saints and Scroungers (BBC1), Rich Jobless and Famous (BBC1) and today (04/07/2010) on the BBC's Big Questions, Nick Campbell was asking "should the jobless work for benefits".
ReplyDeleteSubliminal social control or proper treatment of a real issue?
Let's hope Ms Taylor comes across better than she did on Benefit Busters!
I suspect it's just laziness on the part of TV companies. They see it as topical and it plays to existing prejudices, and in the process it reinforces them.
ReplyDeleteI'm genuinely amazed. I didn't realize unemployment was the result of people not being able to sell themselves to an employer effectively. For years I have laboured under the misapprehension that unemployment was the result of technological advances in machine production rendering the need for the application of large masses of human labour power increasingly redundant, when all we really needed to do was polish up our CVs, slap on a smile and think poitive. Genius! This woman needs to go global with this. I know, let's send her to China.
ReplyDeleteI could not believe it when I saw this programme advertised! In benefit busters this awful women employed the break em down and build em up techniques usually reserved for military training in order to get a group comprising of some highly skills ladies to take temporary jobs in poundland! She demonstrated no concept of boundaries, confidentiality or unconditional positive regard. I would have been ashamed to have her on my team!
ReplyDeleteAppauled, Anonymous above has no idea just what the word editing means. If you believe everything you see on TV then you are very foolish. Having been taught by the individual you are being so rude about, I can asure you she is absolutely none of the above.I would imagine she would never have lowered herself to be on your team! and that being said what kind of team leader are you to be posting such diatribe?
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the comment above. Some of it may been down to editing but you can't edit in the partonising tone of voice and the fact that the emphasis was on getting people into any job without regard to ability or past experience. Will be interesting to see how they "edit" this programme!!
ReplyDeleteI work in the Welfare to Work industry, and believe me, Hayley is doing a wonderful job. I work for the same company that she worked for before the "Fairy Jobmother" episode, and we help a lot of people back into work. Sometimes people have been out of work for so long, and are so low in confidence, that positions such as the ones at Poundland for instance are enough to get them back into employment and boost their confidence. After this, we continue to work with our clients and when they feel ready to move onto a different role, we help them move up in the world of work. Little steps make a huge difference to some peoples lives. Please dont make assumptions that Welfare to Work companies play with peoples lives. We are on the front line with some amazing clients/customers, and everyone has a different situation that we have to deal with, and we do a very good job at helping people back onto their feet and get off of benefits. You shouldn't comment on what other people do for others, until you have experienced it first hand.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a number of people who comment here regularly who have experienced first hand the welfare-to-work industry, either as clients or as practitioners. Before some of them try to savage you, I will agree that a lot of people have been helped back into work, and that some of them do need the confidence to apply for jobs; after all, they've suffered years of discouragement and disappointment. It's only with FND that providers have had a continuing role with their clients; with the old contracts that didn't happen. On the subject of Ms Taylor, there was a lot of criticism of the approach she took, and it's likely that the producers signed her up for this programme simply because of that controversial approach and the publicity it would get. A lot of providers and their staff might feel that they don't wish to be identified with this approach.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it when someone does a job that helps individuals they are submitted to a barage of negative criticism. This is apparant in all sectors be it the Nhs, social services, etc. I feel that any help no matter how small, is beneficial to that person in the way they percieve it.This is such a controversial subject, that instead of blaming an individual why not blame the government!
ReplyDeleteI often say that if one of these "training" providers (A4E, BEST SERCO, etc) works for you, and you can get something real and positive out of them then great!
ReplyDeleteSadly, there are too many horror stories about them that cannot be ignored. There also seems to be a lot of inconsistancy, even within one training provider. The help on offer seems to vary substantially from some of the things I've read. Some say they've been helped whilst others (such as myself) were left to their own devices.
I've had an anonymous comment which I won't publish because it makes specific allegations. If the poster would like to post his /her email address (which I won't, of course, publish) we can discuss it.
ReplyDelete"Sometimes people have been out of work for so long, and are so low in confidence, that positions such as the ones at Poundland for instance are enough to get them back into employment and boost their confidence."
ReplyDeleteIf these comments are representative of the ethics of your employer then god help us all.
How on earth does shuttling people into such rubbish jobs with such low pay (assuming they are anything more than temp xmas jobs) boost anyone's confidence? What about people who want and are capable of more - like most peopel on the dole? What confidence boost is it for them to be shouted at by someone that has never met them, presuming their attitude and wasting their skills whilst expecting them to be grateful for whatever crumbs a4w can facilitate for them from the capitalist dining table?
This is disgusting, absolutely disgusting.
What do you mean, someone shouting at them that they have never met?
ReplyDeleteWe have fantastic relationships with a host of various employers, and our clients have a range of choice as to where they go for either work trials/placements or interviews for jobs. I was merely using Poundland as an example. I am truly sorry that some of you werent helped when you were at a4e, but I can say for myself, as well as my colleagues at our office that we help as many of our clients as possible. As for the ongoing help we offer, we are NOT on FND, yet we still offer the help to maintain our clients in employment, they have my momile number, and if they need anything from me, I make sure that I help them where I can. I cannot talk for any other people, but I am extremely passionate about what I do, as are my colleagues, and have consistently been the best office in our region for over a year now, and that has taken hard work and dedication. Every Welfare to Work Provider has had its ups and downs, but we are fighting a massive battle against employers mind sets as well as clients/customers fear, anger, or whatever emotion they feel to their situations. We just want to help people and try our best to improve their lives as best we can.
I don't mind publishing the point of view of the providers, but it's irritating when you slip over into cliche. That word "passionate", for instance. I've known people working in the industry who were enthusiastic, devoted to the task of getting people into jobs, extremely hard-working and innovative, etc. - but "passionate" is daft. And then there's "improving people's lives". The rest of what you say is admirable and you are obviously doing a good job. When you say "the best office in our region" I presume that means in percentage outcomes.
ReplyDeleteThis is not about knocking individual workers in the field, who, like you, want to do the best job they can. It's about something much wider.
"I am truly sorry that some of you werent helped when you were at a4e"
ReplyDeleteThen you should really try not to be so dismissive. The above comment from yourself is pretty depressing. Why not make an effort to find out WHY many ex-clients feel they were were not helped by your company. I'm sure you're aware how increasingly infamous A4e has become and why.
Lets face it look at the people she finds work for we all know this is visual manipulation set up by the government to assure the unemployed they can all find work but in some cases they will not. Hayley should change her name to god as she beleives she is that powerfull. The programme makes me sick and this week the only candidate left on the shelf was the fifty year old what can she do about age descrimination the answer is zero.
ReplyDelete