This is a long one but I don’t know what to do. I work as a carer on a self employed basis and have had a client for coming up to a year which I work many hours for.
When I applied for the job I didn’t drive but was learning and even though the job did involve driving they took me on. From the start there has been a lot of pressure for me to drive which is fair enough. They are capable but need support to not be limited by their health and have a team of carers as well as me. Most of what I do is cooking, cleaning, shopping and trips out but generally within the surrounding town or like I said around up to an hour away for the day.
The issues is driving was a fear of mine and as a result I passed later in life and pretty much since I passed 6 months ago I’ve taken them out to trips up to an hour away on a weekly basis. I’ve never not done a trip but I have said from the start I want to build up to taking clients on trips that are much further away. But each time I’m threatened with my job basically and they back off then within weeks they want me to go further or when I don’t work when I have my kids the have wanted me to invole my children so I work those days too which I’m not comfortable with. This week I had to take my dog to the vet it was before 9 in the morning and was booked in with the client knowing well in advance. My dog is a rescue and is in particular afraid of men he doesn’t know. The night before they wanted me to go from the vet to there’s with my dog that they have not met and then we all go out in my car. I explained that wouldn’t work with my dog and wanted to stick to the previous plan and as a result I feel they have punished me when I worked this week. An gave me a list of all the things I need to work on. They also want me to take more lessons which I don’t want to do I have a licence. They also have 2/3 other carers that take them out in their car weekly and I feel if it was just me I would understand the pressure to speed up to doing bigger journeys.
I don’t know what to do. I was told I over thought things with my dog and it would have been fine. I said respectfully I know my dog and they said they have known dogs their whole life and it would have been fine. There has also been times where they will get out the car before I have even stopped the car which I have explained isn’t okay. I’ve also had them drop family members on me last minute to drive home when there wasn’t space in the car and I said I wasn’t comfortable but they wouldn’t get out the car. I feel they push my boundaries and every boundary I have in place is to what I am comfortable to do and what I believe is safest.
I don’t want to loose this job but equally I’m worried I’m going to be put into situations I’m not comfortable with. Ive not experienced this with other clients. I don’t know what to say to them.