Key worker rant

[cutie101]

What qualifies as key worker really annoys me.
More to the point the people who benefit from discounts and privileges even though they havent been in critical roles is getting to me.
Yes frontline staff have been absolutely amazing and deserve it, but what about the admin person who works for the NHS, or the optician, or the psychologists etc..their jobs haven't been impacted at all, but they benefit from the same discount as the true heroes. Im a teacher and have honestly never worked more than I have since March, in every day looking after children of key workers and vulnerable children, plus creating and recording lessons, making work available online, marking all work each day as well as so many other things...really annoyed me that looking in a car showroom the other day, those who work for the NHS get the staff discount at the moment, but not me. I am more than happy for the doctors, nurses, paramedics etc to benefit, but random admin who have been working from home or even furloughed...
Likewise I know a couple, both who worked from home throughout, just like so many other people. One is a solicitor in the public sector and the other works for a water company in their IT department. Again neither job critical during this time, but because one works for a water company and the other in the public sector, they are both classified as key workers so their children could carry on going to school, nursery etc.
I'm grumpy and ranting, but does anyone else feel the same?

No one in the nhs has done their job in an unchanged way since March. From the cleaners to the chief exec.

Honestly there were days we would just get yesterday’s guidance operationalised and a new directive would come from government and we had to change it all again.

The discounts are just marketing but I do take exception to your completely unfounded belief that you know the ins and outs of everyone else’s role.

@cutie101

the teacher pay increase has been in the pipeline for a while and is nothing to do with coronavirus.

NHS staff discount has been around for years too.

As a nurse working in the NHS I would say it’s those who never signed up to being frontline who have given the most.

My job has been unchanged really. Sure the virus is new, but the job itself. Well no. Those in outpatients etc who have had to go to Covid wards, well that’s not what they signed up for is it?

Wow ....and there was me trying to stick up for teachers in real life. NHS employee but not nurse or Dr. My work and our service has completely changed. That includes our admin staff who have done a Stirling job both from the workplace and elsewhere. My place of work has been changed. My hours have completely changed and increased. Staff worked in full ppe yet still contracted covid......but shouldn't have access to a discount because not "front line" and more importantly, because teachers didn't get the same?? What happened to being kind to each other? I was entitled to a place at school for DC but didn't take it up for most of the time .....why? Trying to protect the teachers at their school so we struggled at home. Much of the discounts were available before covid in different formats and things such as the 10% at morrisons is as much a marketing issue and longer term may give us a benefit, but they will get lots of custom

"Random NHS Admin worker" here.

Yeah, my work just totally eased off since January (yeah, that's when it started for us, not March). I haven't known what to do to keep myself busy to be honest, in between running around trying to source PPE for our thousands of staff, reissuing the ever-changing guidance, answering queries from scared and confused frontline staff (and members of the public), arranging for such staff to receive Fit Mask training, retraining staff who have been redeployed to our team (I don't know about other Trusts but in ours no staff were furloughed but were expected to be redeployed in completely different roles).

I can barely find time to file my bloody nails.

But seriously, don't fight other people who are trying to do their best. I do feel this country is all about divide and conquer at present which is pretty scary. We are all doing what we can.

but what about the admin person who works for the NHS, or the optician, or the psychologists etc..their jobs haven't been impacted at all,

You lost me at this. You clearly haven’t got a fucking clue.

Would this bumper sticker make you feel better OP?

There are discount schemes out there for teachers but I've never bothered to use one.

Op, why did you become a teacher in the first place ? I think you are losing sight of why you chose to teach in the first place.

Teachers can get at 10% at JD too.
www.discountsforteachers.co.uk/offer?offer=jd-sports-10-teachers-discount-16966&listingPosition=1
There are loads of discounts for teachers. You just need to look for them.

OP can you clarify what discounts you are referring to?

Honestly there were days we would just get yesterday’s guidance operationalised and a new directive would come from government and we had to change it all again.

I worked 16 hours a day 7 days a week for about 3 months drafting guidance where none existed (much of which became national) and Doing everything I could to keep thousands of staff safe.

It was like nailing unmade jelly to an unmade wall most days.

What a mean spirited post
Some of us who work for the NHS may not be in frontline roles and could be working from home yet we have still been working 12 hour days, often in stressful and traumatic roles, without the support and camaraderie of colleagues. As far as I know no NHS staff were eligible for furlough. We are not highly paid and not getting the pay rises teachers are, would you trade your better pay for a few discounts which are worth nothing if you don't want to or have the money to buy that particular item or brand?

Because its far easier to implement something and roll it out across the board for 'NHS workers', vs someone sitting picking through 'John does face-to-face visits, whilst Ann doesn't, so she isn't eligible'. As for the companies it's great PR spin to give 15% off a pizza, or 5% off a car. But then again Just Eat do 'Cheeky Tuesdays 20% off for everyone', because it keeps the sales up, and takeaways are generally busier Fridays/weekends. I've also seen 'deposit waived/short term tenancies' for property lettings for NHS staff (especially studio apartments) during Covid. It's nothing personal against anyone else, it's just businesses looking to generate maximum profits.

I'm a "random admin" for a NHS hospital and was redeployed from my normal area in outpatients to a covid ward, in close proximity to covid patients 5 days a week. I've not missed one working day since lockdown began.

I wasn't allowed to book any annual leave and my first leave since April isn't until September, I also have a partner in the vulnerable category who i was TERRIFIED I would bring home covid too, as he 'd had life saving major surgery 2 weeks before lockdown.

But I'm sorry that as a random admin i qualify for a discount on a car (as in your original post) and that you dont.

@cutie101

some schools seem to have done a lot less than others. I was averaging an 18 hour day from mid April to mid July.

Uh huh

A teacher, surprise surprise.

I work for a water company. We absolutely recognise the importance of keeping clean water available to homes and hospitals but that applies at all times and is emphasised with increased hand washing. We aren't getting NHS heroes discounts on anything. I've been so busy working from home that sometimes the doing no work and getting 80% pay on furlough seemed appealing, but our company are committed to you getting the water you need. YABU.

I yes YABU.

I get that you're pissed off, but through this pandemic, all sorts of people have had to work in very difficult situations. I am a key worker, as I'm local govt staff, but as my job isn't front line, I didn't use my 'status' to any personal benefit. Some people I know did, force smoke by taking up child care places, to help them to continue to work with tiny kids etc during lockdown etc, but most people did what they needed to do to function. In all honesty, I just cannot get het up about this OP, and I don't understand why you're so cross. If you think you deserve a discount, ask the person selling whatever it is, and tell them you're a teacher. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@CalmYoBadSelf

What a mean spirited post Some of us who work for the NHS may not be in frontline roles and could be working from home yet we have still been working 12 hour days, often in stressful and traumatic roles, without the support and camaraderie of colleagues. As far as I know no NHS staff were eligible for furlough. We are not highly paid and not getting the pay rises teachers are, would you trade your better pay for a few discounts which are worth nothing if you don't want to or have the money to buy that particular item or brand?

And don't forget when we've been doing all of this we've been told we're lazy and can't be bothered to look after our own kids when we want the schools to re open or complained that the home schooling was shite.

Any NHS staff that work in a hospital are putting themselves at risk just by using the lifts.
Your angry at a group of people who, okay not patient facing, but still get shit pay, no thanks, windowless rooms, 30 minute break, weekend and night work.
A few months ago in my department my boss took away our 15 minute am and pm tea breaks (I work in an area where you can't eat or drink at your desk).
Just because staff are not treating patients directly doesn't make them any less. How does the doctor no it's Covid without the lab staff to run the test at 3am? How does the sample get to the lab without the porter? How does the infected sample get cleaned away without the cleaner? And all the other stuff that goes on in the background.

Force smoke?! *For example...

but what about the admin person who works for the NHS,

The NHS would grind to a halt without admin staff. Who is going to check patients in at reception, find their records, organise appointments and the likes if not admin staff?

And, going by the experience in my local hospital, they do so with second tier PPE as they are not "close contact" despite the fact many of them come face to face with pretty much everyone who walks through the door.

I don't believe you are a teacher. This is just another thread designed to get people having a pop at teachers imo

I'm a teacher and I've rarely had less to do than these past few months. I work PT and for once the shit timetable I was given for having the audacity to become a mother paid off. I was in school about once a week, but that was not actually teaching, more baby sitting. Our nursery closed, even to key worker kids, but I could get my work done during naps and DH's annual leave covered my days in school. So I actually felt bloody awkward being classed as a key worker. I'm going to have a hell of a lot more to do come September than I have since March. YABU to compare yourself to others and decide that you're more deserving of the key worker label than others.

I'm an NHS doctor, and worked on the coronavirus wards during the peak. I saw the most harrowing things. Your post is absolute nonsense.

NHS admin staff were redeployed to support roles on the ward in many cases: helping with flow and discharges etc. Their jobs are very important regardless, as the need for admin does not disappear during a pandemic: it increases!

NHS psychologists have been playing a key role looking after mental health, which has unsurprisingly deteriorated.

Everyone who works in the NHS, including the cleaners and admin staff (in fact especially the cleaners and admin staff) have played a key role.

I hate this. We are all important.

Key workers who work from home are also vital, helping to provide key services. I don't understand the school of thought that just because someone works from home, they don't need childcare. It's impossible to work effectively and care for or school a child.

I'm really dismayed to see all the key worker bashing posts lately. I don't consider myself a hero, in fact I think the 'hero' mantra is toxic. We are normal people, who deserve safe working conditions and reasonable pay. Calling us heroes detracts from that.

My key worker rant is this...

In the UK, more than 540 health and social care workers, including 5 people at the hospital where I work, have died from covid so far. Most of these deaths were in the early months when we didn't have access to enough PPE.

www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/uk-among-highest-covid-19-health-worker-deaths-world

And yet you don't read about that in the media do you? It was all about "NHS heroes" cannon fodder this and that, now it's who is getting a pay rise and who isn't (personally I couldn't care less). And then there's posts like this bitching about who gets a discount?!

WHO CARES??? IT DOESN'T MATTER!

...and breathe

Sorry OP, but your use of the phrase "true heroes" really pisses me off, I feel like the heavy emphasis on the word "hero" brushes under the carpet the fact that a lot of employees were completely failed by their employer to keep them and their families safe. And now there are at least 540 grieving families.