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?

'True heroes'

Goodness me bitter and delusional

Psychologists save lives too especially at the moment with so many people suffering from mental health problems.

The discounts are up to the people marketing the scheme don't downplay the importance of other people's roles because you don't want to haggle for a car. Did you even ask for a discount? At least you can afford to buy a new car.

I'm pretty sure that in the main the 'nhs hero' discounts are probably available to most workers who work for large employers. It's just that that the NHS ones are promoted more as a PR thing for the establishments offering them.

I'm civil service and our employee benefits through Edenred offer discounts with loads of eateries, high street clothes companies, entertainment venues etc. They're not massive, 5% off here, perhaps 7%, but all available for those who seek the discounts out. I'd be surprised if teacher didn't have similar through their workplace benefits.

As a keyworker who has also worked continually through this pandemic, I kept my 8yr old son at home with me while I homeworked. Boy do I regret that decision now - poor wee toot was left to fend for himself while I worked over my hours every day. If I had to do this again I would certainly have put him to a key worker school, for his benefit as well as mine.

I'm only a lowly admin person too, but one who was called on to help administer the government schemes to keep people afloat during these times - the job retention scheme, and self employed income support scheme. I've went from working in an office in a processing role to basically operating a call centre from my kitchen, helping 30+ people apply for the schemes each day. It's been bloody hard, but exhilarating too. Most importantly though, it's been worthwhile and I'd do it all again (though as I said before with my son in a keyworker school if lockdown hit again).

It's a shame that you don't seem to appreciate the impact that your work will have done over this time to help the kids that you teach, surely that's the only incentive you need to make you feel fulfilled? Not comparing yourself to an ' NHS hero' who can get a discount in Starbucks (that you can probably get through your workplace benefits anyway)

I agree with PP about the OP not being a teacher! Is they were they would know about the teacher discount scheme (similar to the NHS one).

Also the way that she is NHS bashing in the way teachers usually get it. Mean spirited and goady AF.

. I'd be surprised if teacher didn't have similar through their workplace benefits.

Yes, depending on if you're in a union. (And if you are a teacher, you're extremely foolish if you aren't.)

I'm guessing though that the op is referring to the smaller, independent type shops who want to say thanks by offering NHS discounts, which is a lovely thing to do. But also misses out other key workers, which is a shame but understandable as given the enormous numbers of roles classed as key workers, they'd be out of business in a week if they offered the same to all.

My oh is a postie and has been extremely appreciative of a local deli which has given him a free cup of coffee/can of drink every day he has delivered to them throughout lockdown.

It's little gestures like this that really express thanks in my opinion, rather than big companies jumping onto it as a way to generate good PR and push sales - those either already have fairly accessible discounts already, or would have been doing some kind of promotion anyway.

Most intensive care units have psychologists as part of the team. My psychology colleagues have been working in ITU and on the covid wards right through the last surge. They’ve been seeing the scared and broken patients, supporting relatives and the bereaved who last saw their relative going into the back of an ambulance, helping traumatised staff and now following up the survivors.
Psychologists working in other areas have been doing home visits to see people who are in desperate need or seeing people face to face because their mental health is so poor and the risk of them having no support is high.
It’s bloody frontline. So are the admin staff who volunteered to work in icu and the cleaners and the support workers, the porters, the canteen staff.... It’s been really horrible and we don’t know what the winter holds. If it’s bad again no discount will compensate. It’s so far from normal.

I think the key worker thing has had its day now, there are lot of people who worked extremely hard to keep this country going throughout the pandemic including shop workers who seem to have been forgotten.

Lots of big companies offer staff discounts. I get 15% off my Vodafone contract. So does my DSis who works for the NHS.

You sound quite deranged. NHS staff have not been furloughed. And your “basic admin” could have been doing anything from supporting the frontline staff from HR to ensure they got paid, rearranging patient appointments or re-deployed to support the many hundreds of urgent projects which cropped up as a result of this crisis. If your friend genuinely had zero change to her role then she is one of very, very few to be in that position. My entire staff were redeployed to support “business critical” areas. Our service stopped but we did not. We went from 9-5 Monday to Friday to working weekends, bank holidays and nights doing all sorts of things with no warning, and often very little training or support as everyone was so busy and in the same boat. Everyone understood they needed to just get on.

I have many friends who are teachers and I work for the NHS (not frontline) we have all accessed discounts from a number of sources for years since they became popular during the 2009 crash. Do I deserve it? Yes. Do you? Also yes.

Your issue is with the companies who chose to offer it to NHS staff as a good marketing ploy not with the individuals who make use of it.

I kind of get your point (if I delve through the envy). A ‘mum friend’ works 13 hours a week in NHS admin, she openly admitted she took advantage of the discounts and the NHS supermarket hour too. What can you do? She had a badge, she was entitled by the ‘rules’. I have a Nurse friend who didn’t claim any discounts, she was just too bloody tired and if not at work was at home. There will always be food who take advantage in all professions, roles etc.

On another note you made reference to wishing to have a ‘blue light’ card. Are you a member of a Union? You can access discounts that way and also make sure you complete a tax return each year as your subscriptions will change your tax code and ensure you pay slightly less tax (rebate of just under £5 this year - woo!)

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

I think you're right.[/quote]
I also agree with this. It just doesn’t read to me like a teacher is writing this. If I’m wrong then that’s really sad and disappointing. Like previous posters have said, the divide and rule Tory spin job is working its magic once again.

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

@hibbledobble writes a brilliant post and as NHS band 2 admin I would like to thank him/her. I may not be directly front line but I support nurses who go to people's homes and care homes. I don't have a break in my working hours. I don't take advantage of any discounts apart from the Eat out to Help out scheme which we have used once and is available to everyone anyway.

I don't like this idea of pitting one section of workers against another. Whatever happened to 'we're all in this together'?!

Easy YABVU.

I worked for NHS for a year in one of the admin roles OP describes.

I didn't use NHS discount once, so I'm having trouble rating it as valuable. Everyone on MN gushed about Nandos discount -- I don't go there or even especially like chicken. There wasn't anything else I wanted to use; those options are even less available since March 2020.

At NHS work we had 2 big monitors plus the slow laptop to look at huge spreadsheets with. No budget to get any other equipment at home. WFH on little laptop screen over wifi would definitely not have been "doing my regular everyday job in a completely unchanged way".

I work in a hospital and our psychologists worked all through the first wave, seeing inpatients, remotely working with outpatients and offering support to staff. Additionally, without IT staff no remote working would have been possible. Hospital admin staff were redeployed, with many working on wards. The OP is fairly insulting to all of those groups

@cutie101

I am not key worker bashing. I am asking why some are more important than others. Apart from those on the frontline themselves who absolutely are more important and deserved to be recognised as such. Unfortunately I know admin staff who work for speech therapists in the community who have not had increased workload. They have continued with their work from home like everyone else. I dont see them as critical workers in the same way as doctors and refuse collectors.

You have absolutely no idea and it's embarrassing.

You're a teacher who I'm sure has been moaning about teacher bashing on here but you think it's ok to start a thread to slag off your perceived less important people in the NHS who get some discounts. You really don't help yourselves do you.

Grow up.

I work for the NHS. Without admin who do you think would do the admin work? Frontline medical staff (Who already do enough tick box working) therefore obviously taking away clinical time! They are vital.

Psychologists are also vital to support the mental health of patients AND frontline staff.

YABVVU and bitter

I was averaging an 18 hour day from mid April to mid July.

I don't believe that your 'average' day consisted of starting work at 6.00 am and finishing at midnight (or similar).

Just to address one of your several generalisations/assumptions there - I'm a psychologist who's been working on a ward with Covid, supporting families who are going through a traumatising time. My colleagues in non inpatient settings have been working in stafg wellbeing hubs to provide support the frontline staff who are working on Covid wards. And even for psychologists who don't work in physical health, as you may imagine our journey with Covid has been a highly anxiety provoking one so far for many people. I'm sure some of the other professions you highlight have also contributed to Covid in ways you might not expect. A little compassion goes a long way. :)

Why is everyone so jealous and bitter at the moment. It's really not an attractive trait. Get over it.

There's no point going on 'what about that person, what about this profession, what about X people' etc etc ... We've all had a shit time of it. We just have to get on with it. Frankly the least of my concern is NHS admin getting a reduced curry from the local takeaway.

Everyone is telling you YABU so I'd suggest you take it on board, admit that you sound selfish and bitter and just get a grip basically.

"Random" NHS admin here. We couldn't be furloughed and personally speaking I have been doing the work of 3 people through the crisis due to shielding colleagues. My service has run throughout and clinical staff wouldn't be able to do their work without us.

We get those discounts ordinarily, as companies like to market to the NHS, some have been enhanced recently. To be honest I rarely use them as I don't have spare money for regular take aways and the like due to my relatively low wage.

You are being massively unfair to devalue the jobs of others like this when you clearly know nothing about them.

I am also a key worker - For a huge supermarket. I have worked my arse off esp since March and its been hard and stressful but I don't get discounts either. It is what it is.

And why oh why oh WHY do people keep acting like they know what anyone elses job entails.

You've no idea what NHS admin do on a daily basis, you've no idea how vital your IT 'friend' is.

I'm a dreaded solicitor and wills and probate have been absolute mayhem recently. You've no idea what my work entails or how long my hours are or how it's been impacted by Covid so quit acting like you do, just like I won't comment on what teachers are up to at the moment... Because I'm not one!

Just get on with your job like everyone else. If you don't like it so much, do something else.

Maybe you could take a salary drop and do one of these 'easy' NHS admin jobs so you can get 10% off your Costa coffee if it means so much to you?