tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post4475795435969111550..comments2024-02-29T10:55:43.449-08:00Comments on Watching A4e: Round-upUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-23073145085243368272013-08-09T16:13:10.351-07:002013-08-09T16:13:10.351-07:00many thanks to all of you- just to be clear, this ...many thanks to all of you- just to be clear, this wasn't a case of 3 calls in one day- it was 3 calls a day for an entire week. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-17055863795922318162013-08-09T14:49:56.580-07:002013-08-09T14:49:56.580-07:00Also constant 'phone calls at work hardly is a...Also constant 'phone calls at work hardly is acceptable and they are jeopardising your job.<br /><br />Also never ever give a4e and the like your mobile number. <br />Simonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-76220918978776201352013-08-09T14:30:47.506-07:002013-08-09T14:30:47.506-07:00For what it is worth, it is all bluster from A4E a...For what it is worth, it is all bluster from A4E as a Work Programme Provider cannot force you to tell them where you are working. <br /><br />On the flip side, should the job not last two years and you go back to A4E via the Work Programme with an updated CV of where you are now working, A4E will no doubt try to claim the Job Entry in the future (providing you have signed a sharing of information form). I am an Employment Advisor and your advisor should have gone down the standard route of creating different variants of your CV.<br /><br />Your advisor has generated an Entitlement Doubt which is unlikely to become a sanction due to you starting work. I really do wish you the best of luck with the job. Dark Roguenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-7803183840380281002013-08-09T13:46:30.789-07:002013-08-09T13:46:30.789-07:00Well done for getting a job. It's very worryi...Well done for getting a job. It's very worrying that if you hadn't got a job you could have been left with no money due to supposedly not complying with their poor advice, though. As for breach of contract- well, they're bluffing. You do not have to tell them where you're working. If I were you I would keep my phone switched off during the day when you're at work (or at least keep the ring tone switched off). In any case I'm fairly sure that, by phoning you several times a day, the Work Programme provider could be in breach of some harassment law.Sick of the Work Programmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-35900284759186535572013-08-09T13:40:25.995-07:002013-08-09T13:40:25.995-07:00(Nothing seems to have improved since my time with...(Nothing seems to have improved since my time with a4e three years ago, unfortunately.)<br /><br />t would have thought you weren't in breach of contract assuming you hadn't signed a written contract promising to inform them of a new job. <br /><br />Rather silly though of the DWP but then they probably assume people are like sheep and will fall in line and don't question.<br /><br />I wonder if you/one couldn't take legal action against them for harassment.<br /><br />Well done on the new job!<br />Simonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-57345420667043110762013-08-09T12:51:35.391-07:002013-08-09T12:51:35.391-07:00I had arecent contact regarding this and when aske...I had arecent contact regarding this and when asked about there liability the response was we make the rules.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-31482134229452010652013-08-09T11:54:16.986-07:002013-08-09T11:54:16.986-07:00They are trying it on. At no point did you have a...They are trying it on. At no point did you have any form of contract with the provider. You were merely the "goods" (or "stock" in the words of Lord Freud) in a contract between the DWP and the provider. <br />Have some fun with them. Make their lives as miserable as they make some others'.<br />Just don't tell them where you're working.<br />If they get too pushy you could always threaten them with a complaint (to the police) of harassment. The complaint would be aginst the named individual as well as the company,<br />Enjoy your new job.Gissajobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-12952442512471385742013-08-09T11:52:50.422-07:002013-08-09T11:52:50.422-07:00Yes, they're just after the money as far as th...Yes, they're just after the money as far as the phone calls go, and the 'breach of contract' bit is absurd - their contract is with DWP, not the individual recipient of their services.<br /><br />However, just a suggestion re the 'compliance doubt' - if a decision maker decides to apply a sanction, it might still apply should you be unfortunate enough to lose your job within 12 months, so if anything comes through from DWP / JCP, it'd be best to deal with it.<br /><br />Good luck with the new job.Badgernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-87962714773735855702013-08-09T11:51:05.215-07:002013-08-09T11:51:05.215-07:00I do believe that the problem is the last 2 years ...I do believe that the problem is the last 2 years have been at the expense of the Unemployed,not the providers...After 2 years on this programme (Which I have paid for over the last 30 years) it delivers nothing,yet the Providers have secured their lifestyles and profits,while snivelling that they need more money,Obscene!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-64589320396087684842013-08-09T09:52:10.441-07:002013-08-09T09:52:10.441-07:00This may sound a bit ignorant,but if you are in &q...This may sound a bit ignorant,but if you are in "Breach of contract" should they not also be held in breach of contract for failing to actually deliver on their contracts,and also failure to deliver to the individual?mkmkynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-70704247573688442382013-08-09T08:46:15.801-07:002013-08-09T08:46:15.801-07:00thank you for the heads up and for your kind words...thank you for the heads up and for your kind words. it's very much appreciated.<br /><br />to be perfectly frank, if these incessant phone calls are simply so they can claim money from one hour of treating me like a naughty child and undermining my self esteem [I consider myself a confident person but six months on the rock and roll will knock anyone's confidence]... then they won't get anything from me. <br /><br />I figured the 'breach of contract' nonsense was just that but wanted to be sure. if reading this blog and others has taught me anything it's that WP providers are litigious and I didn't want to do anything that could damage my career.<br /><br />Thanks again. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-40581461932421336892013-08-09T08:25:21.951-07:002013-08-09T08:25:21.951-07:00If they can discover where you work they can claim...If they can discover where you work they can claim a job outcome. I know that sounds absurd, but it's always been the position with these schemes. I really don't know what contract you could possibly be in breach of by not telling them. <br />Your experience, especially at the start, is shared by many. The idea that you should dumb down your CV is common, but stupid. It leaves gaps - how do you explain those years when you were studying? And what do you put on an application form? <br />So glad things have worked out for you.historianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922746528891041071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-84381798144514714212013-08-09T08:13:20.513-07:002013-08-09T08:13:20.513-07:00I was on the WP for exactly three days before I wa...I was on the WP for exactly three days before I was offered a full time, well paid job in the field that I trained in at University [web content].<br /><br />Great news, you would think, except that in my first meeting with A4E I was told to delete my degree and previous experience from my CV so as not to discourage employers in more menial industries from taking me on. <br /><br />I refused. Following a heated discussion with my adviser I received a letter in the post a few days later letting me know a sanction doubt had been raised. Apparently I hadn't been co-operating. The letter was obviously a template but the insinuation was that I had been deliberately disruptive, treated the whole thing as a joke and wasn't doing enough to seek work.<br /><br />Of course, by this point I could care less. I tore up the letter and forgot about it. A full month passed until last week at work I got no less than three phone calls a day from the WP office demanding to know where I had started work and contact numbers for my HR dept etc. If I didn't tell them this information, I was warned, I would be 'in breach of contract' whatever that means. <br /><br />Like most people I imagine, I only came across the blog after being referred to the WP so I don't really know enough to know if it's worth taking them seriously. I'm 99% sure it's all bluster but any advice would be very much appreciated. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-90474213237689688302013-08-09T06:25:48.877-07:002013-08-09T06:25:48.877-07:00Guess it depends where you are then, as I have bee...Guess it depends where you are then, as I have been told who I will be seeing at the JC when I sign and that all they will do is reconsider the areas I am applying for jobs in (obviously not suitable since I haven't found one). <br /><br />I'm not off the WP for another couple of weeks though, so time for it all to change, but I'd guess my JC are already doing this with the first people off the WP.<br />Pollynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-90870123954489793052013-08-08T10:59:48.959-07:002013-08-08T10:59:48.959-07:00Went to the Group Information session for the work...Went to the Group Information session for the work programme 2 the revenge just when you thought it was safe to go back into the job market.., several things came to ligh she stressed it was not there to trick you into getting sanctions said it 3 times.<br /><br />For the first month I have to go there 2 or 3 times a week, then once a week afterwards there will be a new action plan per week with 1-3 mandatory things some will be a rolling thing some will be a one use event<br /><br />They also said Sector based academies, where you will be sent for 6-8 weeks and get a qualification this could be anywhere within merseyside. The staff will have 48 hours notice that the scheme is up then they will input peoples names and ni numbers into the system and its whoever types the fastest gets the place.<br /><br />Then what was said that signing will be done electronically via the universal credit/universal jobsmatch site Does this mean you have to sign in to UJM to sign on what about security.. They did say that there MAY be funding for other training. When you get sent there you get a form that is NOT mandatory to fill in. Now I dont know how accurate what that woman told me and since Universal credit is red/amber rated plus other problems with it. So we shall see what happens next.The Anonymousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05910309623471217302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-10558241919476125042013-08-07T03:55:09.091-07:002013-08-07T03:55:09.091-07:00Genuine training is what we need! And qualificatio...Genuine training is what we need! And qualifications for the jobs we used to do that now require :- certificates and updated skills.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-15523872458224115552013-08-07T02:01:16.934-07:002013-08-07T02:01:16.934-07:00Anon 6 Aug 2013 09:17
I think The One True Elg ha...Anon 6 Aug 2013 09:17<br /><br />I think The One True Elg has it right. The advisers have masses of clients each.<br /><br />Very hard if not impossible offer more than just the basics of seeing someone for 10 minutes or so and not seeing them again, sometimes for MONTHS! I know, it has happened to me!<br /><br />As such, even the pretence of a personalised and tailored service goes right out of the window for the majority of clients.iMattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-50141147297209067352013-08-07T01:57:06.567-07:002013-08-07T01:57:06.567-07:00My take is that it depends on what else you're...My take is that it depends on what else you're doing - e.g. are you involved in some other ETE provision elsewhere, or are you a highly motivated, highly skilled jobseeker for whom the WP is likely to be more or less useless? If either of those, or something similar, apply, then it makes sense to leave you to it.<br /><br />If neither does, then yes, you may have been parked - although that does also mean fewer opportunities to be sanctioned. If you're interested in the minimum service offer from your provider, they can all be found here - although most are extremely vague: <br /><br />https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/185720/provider-minimum-service-delivery.pdfBadgernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-46992960839799298102013-08-06T18:17:07.550-07:002013-08-06T18:17:07.550-07:00Hard to tell if it's parking or whether the st...Hard to tell if it's parking or whether the staff simply have so many people to deal with that's as often as they can see you.<br /><br />Either way it doesn't make for a great service.The One True Elgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-70281046133728565782013-08-06T12:54:12.919-07:002013-08-06T12:54:12.919-07:00yes it looks that way, I recieved the same treatme...yes it looks that way, I recieved the same treatment,found my own job,they found out and then were all over me like a rash......go figure.josenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-35415181140051025172013-08-06T12:50:30.388-07:002013-08-06T12:50:30.388-07:00Historian,you have always been a post of light,at ...Historian,you have always been a post of light,at my worst moments you have been an adversary,do I always agree with your retort? No! but saying that you are fair(I do not agree,but fair)Please keep this open and fair forum open,as I have seen so many closed and it scares the pants off me!....Scared Sh1tless in WalesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-25380665262168453132013-08-06T10:39:55.389-07:002013-08-06T10:39:55.389-07:00I think that for EVERY ATOS medical that goes to a...I think that for EVERY ATOS medical that goes to appeal (where the appeal is upheld) ATOS should HAVE to refund their fee. Maybe that way a) they would take FAR greater care b) they might feel more inclined to give a fair & honest assessment AND c)They might be less likely to deliberately try to get people off benefits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-81677164384282259152013-08-06T09:17:06.172-07:002013-08-06T09:17:06.172-07:00I've been on the work programme for six months...I've been on the work programme for six months.<br /><br />I now only see an adviser every six weeks. Does this I have been parked?<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-25518117707431699482013-08-06T03:37:17.963-07:002013-08-06T03:37:17.963-07:00There's a problem (or a level of protection, d...There's a problem (or a level of protection, depending on how one looks at it) relating to confidentiality and consent at each stage of the transfer from JCP - WP - JCP. Even if / when that issue is resolved, there's still the problem that WP providers are contractually obliged to provide a pretty limited set of information about returners, so they still may not so.<br /><br />Seems absurd that questions about substance use (and even things like basic literacy) are still being explored even when someone has been in 'the system' for a minimum of 27 months, but it's likely to continue to be a problem for the medium term at least - and that's putting to one side the many disincentives relating to disclosure, which is a huge problem in its own right.Badgernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941116624675227992.post-82015674294269744532013-08-06T03:29:41.312-07:002013-08-06T03:29:41.312-07:00My instinct is that one or more of the following a...My instinct is that one or more of the following applies to that poster - they have an axe to grind and are making (some) stuff up; they're confabulating (or as historian suggests passing on misunderstood information); they are / were extremely junior and don't fully understand how the WP works, which is not completely implausible.<br /><br />In short, the bits that appear to be true aren't news, and the bits that appear to be news don't appear to be true.Badgernoreply@blogger.com