Job center telling me off for being 3 mins late

[makowhite]

When they never apologise when they call me in 20+ mins later (when I'm early) and the half an hour meetings never last more than 5-10 mins.

I'm rarely late, but seeing as the appointment is far longer than needed and they are late most of the time.

Same as the doctors. Annoying, but that's the system.

Yes they should be more understanding, but people who work at the Jobcentre doubtless see dozens of customers every week with a chronic lateness problem and hear the same old excuses about late buses and being held up over and over. Same with things like GP appointments - where you also generally get a telling off from the receptionist for being late and at many surgeries will lose your appointment if you're more than 5 minutes late, even though it's also relatively common to wait behind your allotted appointment time at the GP.

My partner was made redundant last year, and despite applying for hundreds of posts, is yet to find something. He was a couple of minutes late the other day, and was threatened with sanctions - as he's been unemployed for longer than six months, he actually gets no benefits at all as it's means tested, so I'm not sure what they were going to do...

If you think you only get treated like shit when you are 'behaving like a spolit brat' then your life experience is extremely limited.

There but for the grace of god go any of us.

Honestly Op don't you know that as you are using the services of a Job Centre you are obviously a complete loser in life and need to taught how to run your life by the type of outstandingly successful individuals that work in job centres.........

Unfortunately they get to sanction you if they do not like you so you have to suck it up - just remember this does not make them right nor does it make them decent human beings.

Most people visiting job centres have successfully secured employment and successfully held down jobs for many years - they are unemployed NOT unemployable - they do not need help or advice or being taught a lesson.

I accept a few may need to be pushed but the vast majority do not.

I was threatened with a sanction because I did not want to attend a CV writing workshop run by them - I had just been made redundant from a £50000 per year job and my ex employer had paid for a highly expensive and professional career consultancy to work with all of us made redundant and the meeting with them to discuss what I needed them to do - which could have included a CV being written for me - clashed with the CV writing workshop. So I was threatened with a sanction for not going to a CV writing workshop because I was going to a CV writing professional!!!

Luckily for me I secured employment the following day and I never had to return there - it was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life.

onthettcbus

you have got such an attitude problem, grow up!

To go with your example, if I have an interview and the person is keeping me waiting whilst typing on their computer, yes I would - gently - remind them that I am here, no I would not assume they are being spiteful. They could be not very bright and have forgotten I am here, they could be finishing something on a strict deadline, they could have had a told off by their boss and they desperately fixing a mistake. I don't assume immediately that they are childish and abusive. What do you think the reaction is when you are being stupidly confrontational: are people likely to be friendly and helpful?
The whole world doesn't turn around you, stop being petulant but behave like an adult and you might have less self inflicted shit happening to you. You behave like a brat, you are treated like a brat.

I doubt an employer would turn down a great candidate for a job on the basis of being 3 minutes late. It happens, we're humans, not robots, and sometimes it's beyond your control. I've been much later than that, I think about 15 mins late for an interview, and I still got the job.

Anyway, many of the job centre people are absolute twats and I have experienced it too. I wanted to find out more about something and ASKED for an appointment, she said, "Come and see me after you sign on, but I'll just put this in the diary at this other time." I did as she told me and I was then sanctioned for "missing an appointment", even though it was an appointment that I had requested, and I had already seen her at the time she asked me to come. The injustice of it and the way they spoke to me still makes me shiver with rage, years later.

When you are seen late, chances are others earlier in the day were late or needed lots of support. Who knows what urgent business they had to do on their computer.

Yes, it is one rule for them and another for you in all areas of life. My boss can do all sorts of things I can't and I can do all sorts of things my students can't. You sound like a child complaining that the teacher doesn't have to wear uniform.

Hi, I am a stay at home mum, not working but my husband is working full time. Would I be elgable for jobseekers? Thanks

Actually, I think your advisor was probably doing you a favour. They can sanction you for being three minutes late. If you are sanctioned you could lose 60% of your benefits for 3 months (longer if you have been sanctioned before). Some job centre staff try to be fair. Telling you off was probably their way of letting you know that this is a dangerous thing. Some job centre staff don't give a shit and would sanction you without a second thought. And though they deny it, they DO have targets for sanctioning people. Make sure you are there 20 mins early for every appointment. Just to be on the safe side.

Get a job, that'll teach 'em.

I have gathered you are looking for an argument. Where did I say I was confrontational? I just reminded her I was there after 30 minutes, time keeping is a necessity in any job, is it not? Would it be acceptable keep a business client waiting for 30 minutes because you have got more important stuff to do instead? Or are we just not that important and clearly have nothing else to do with our time because we are unemployed? Do you work for the job centre by any chance?

You're only eligible for job seekers if you are seeking a job.

Julie... There is a website www.entitledto.co.uk which should help you.

was threatened with sanctions - as he's been unemployed for longer than six months, he actually gets no benefits at all as it's means tested, so I'm not sure what they were going to do...

Please tell me he asked that question. And in an excessively polite tone of voice.

Ha ha dadstheworld
If only it was that easy though. Although I had to speak to my team because they are always about 5mins late for the team meeting and dawdle in. It drives me mad!

It's all part of making it as horrible and dehumanising as possible

This

I do not like people being late and try not to be late myself but Jobcentres treat people like something they've scraped off their shoes.

And appointment times are usually ridiculous (eg something like 15.42) and they won't make them so they eg coincide with bus times - because if you're not at work you've all day to waste, right?

I'm one of the those who is always 10 mins early, probably from my forces days. Then I get annoyed when people aren't at meetings for 5 to!

My comment was a bit glib, however rather than getting worked up about their rules, I'd use the energy for more productive matters.

I work in recruitment, (private recruitment) and I stay well away from low-paid jobs first because the commissions are shit but mainly because at least HALF the candidates are late for our appointments! They then wonder why we don't send them for job interviews. How can I recommend someone for being reliable and keen if they can't even make the effort to turn up on time to meet me in the first place.
It goes farcical, I even had a candidate turning up a week late.

Being late is disrespectful and rude. I am not late to meet my clients, I don't expect candidates to be late to meet me. Oddly enough, the higher level candidates are not late.

But as a general rule of thumb if somebody pays you they can tell you what to do, including being punctual. Looks like that is true for the job-centre, too.

They only told you off. If you've only got a short interview, being late puts a spanner in the works for the appointments that day. If I'm 5 mins late for my GP, they refuse see me!! I have mixed feelings about the harsher approach. On the one hand it does affect negatively people who are really are looking for a job. But somehow, the pisstakers have to be dealt with I guess. It doesn't really discriminate between the two and its hard if you're genuine.

But serious sympathy to the poster with the DB who is getting such a hard time.

• I forgot to add: if candidates are late, I don't tell them off. I bin their CVs, I have hundreds anyway.

Limited I think he was too shocked to say anything! OP, it is the total pits. Like a PP, my partner was in a well-paying, professional post, and has worked since university. He's now having to fill out the job seeker book showing that he is applying for any post going (which he is doing) as opposed to work that suits his skills, which seems bonkers now he's not getting any money.

I'm sure many job centre staff do a great job in difficult circumstances, but for a lot of people signing on it can be a degrading experience which the staff can actually make worse.

Sadly, Remaniac, in the real world no jobs have start times that are built round bus timetables . So, I'm not sure why the JobCentre should do it for one day a fortnight because you've got better things to do the rest of the time .

Yes onthettcbus

Yeah, if that would have been a job interview I would have been turning up for I wouldn't have been interested in taking the job or working for them that's a mature and easy-going attitude
You sound lovely.