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?

@ToTheTwees

Plus my cynical mind has always assumed the discounts for NHS is based on companies wanting revenue from a large employer, rather than some great benevolent act.

Quite. Large vehicle dealer wonders which large body of employees has not suffered financially and is not at risk of job losses.

Dress that up as a poorly concealed gift to our NHS heroes. I’m amazed so few can see straight through this.

And on cars there are always deals to be done.

"just running the website" could very well be full stack development ie keeping the payment portal up and running in the face of excessive demand, keeping the databases which store customer information running smoothly and securely, keeping and updating the staff website to enable WFH so call center staff can still take emergency calls and book engineers where required. Not many companies take on just front end developers these days.

Come on that's a horrible way to live your life. Begrudging people something nice just cos u don't get it. Should students not get student discount when they're students cos the rest of the world doesn't? What about supermarket employees should they not get their staff discount? There are perks to many jobs including teaching. Maybe we should scrap teachers long holidays because the rest of the world don't get them??

I don't know of any nhs staff who have been furloughed, only redeployed. Admin staff are the backbone of the nhs. Without them doctors, nurses, clinics, ED departments etc would not be able to function. You sound very bitter and unknowledgeable.

I got told by the DVSA that I count as a key worker.

I work in HR management for a small charity which campaigns for better mental health provision. We don't even work directly with service users.

Dress that up as a poorly concealed gift to our NHS heroes. I’m amazed so few can see straight through this.

Exactly. The same is true of all those “free bikes for NHS workers”

Sport England awarded a chunk of the additional millions the government set aside to help charities, to provide free bikes for NHS staff. Because your average nurse is going to do a long shift then cycle home at midnight. Meanwhile, they told charities who provide services for people with disabilities that they weren’t the priority and sorry they were getting nothing. Two that I know of have had to shut down, so people who rely on these services for rehabilitation and health, at a time when they are more isolated than ever because services have been unavailable will no longer be able to do the things which keep them healthy.

But we all clapped and cheered that the ortho consultant could get a free bike and isn’t the government wonderful.

Technically both Dh and I are key workers.

I teach. My colleagues worked in school from day one caring for other key worker parents. I am clinically vulnerable so I wasn't in school but I did work full time (more than full time Infact) from home every day, including holidays, providing home learning online.

Dh is a solicitor and is a key worker due to the nature of his work. Not all solicitors are key workers - it depends on which field they work in. Dh specialises in wills, probate and trusts etc. Obviously wills and private have been key areas - these are the bits that classify him as a key worker. Again he's worked full time, mainly from home, throughout and has been busier than ever. Initially lots of other key workers, especially front line staff, making wills. Then later doing probate for people who lost their lives to Covid, amongst other causes.

Regardless neither of us have used or benefitted from any discounts, early access, rewards or anything linked to being key workers. I've not really seen much of those things around, bar the early shopping hours. And in more recent weeks even that's stopped .

@Lancrelady80

OP isn't saying that teachers aren't key workers, she's saying that she finds it frustrating that some key workers are given discounts but not all. Including some that have not been obviously front line key workers. I appreciate her frustration but don't begrudge those who do benefit- they've mostly had a shitty time of it, or a less shitty on the actual work front but equally shitty on the furloughed pay reduction/worry of redundancies/juggling important work with homeschooling front.

It would have been fairer perhaps if those literally on the front line in terms of putting themselves at risk for the public good had been issued some kind of letter/card to "unlock" discounts at those places generous enough to offer them.

It's the inequality of it that irks her. Why should only some key workers benefit but not others when the category considered worthy encompasses such a wide range of situations?

absolutely spot on

Just re read your OP - teacher is a key worker and could have accessed childcare.

You don't become a key worker just because you're in the public sector.

The nhs admin are key workers as they are needed to enable the front line nhs staff to keep working. Without them working the front line would cone to a halt.

I find it profoundly depressing that a teacher would come on here and moan about this - to the point that I am looking at the poor grammar and lack of capital letters in the OP's posts and wondering if this is really a teacher or some kind of reverse. I'm not normally a grammar nazi, but when you spend your whole life telling children to use capital letters, you tend to end up using them fairly consistently yourself.

Yes, some teachers have had a tough lockdown - but it hasn't been easy for anyone. And as a teacher, you would be entitled to the key worker childcare, which many people aren't. You also have a secure job with a living wage, which is more than a lot of people can say at the moment.

A horrible post which will only add to the negative image some people have of teachers.

@Inituntiltheend

Well sure you are getting a raise and the nhs are not ? Is it not nice they are at least getting some sort of discount and appreciation?

That isn’t true. The 2 sectors are at different points in their cycle of pay negotiations that is all. Public sector agreements are over a period of time

I know loads of teachers who did sweet FA during lockdown.......

Look discounts are out there for loads of different sectors and always have been. All Covid has done is make some companies highlight these a bit more.

Nhs discounts have been around for years, way before Covid was in the scene.

Likewise there are benefits for other sectors too, including teachers. Through showing my school email I get up to 20% of my phone contract for example. I can also get discounts in some apple products.

A discount is at the company's discretion. They don't have to offer anyone a discount if they don't want to. Just accept that sometimes some people might get one and it's nice for them.

but they benefit from the same discount as the true heroes like you?

My sensory impairment support worker is a hero! She has been amazing helping people like me navigate a (new) world (of sightloss) that was scary and tricky pre-pandemic let alone with new restrictions. She gets fuck all discounts.

My personal assistant is a hero as she is the one person who can go outside the home with me. She is a key worker and has put herself at risk to help me - she gets fuck all discounts

I attend various courses vampires charity that is attached to a hospice; the groups are for people with incurable diseases that are not necessarily (I can't think of the word? terminal illness/palliative?} these people have carried on running courses online, keeping people in touch with each other making sure those with sensory impairments can still be fully included. These Are Heroes. They've worked bloody hard alleviating isolation, loneliness and fear in people who are already in a very bad situation.

Is your job really more important than theirs question mark are you really more of a hero than they are? none of these amazing people at this fantastic centre get paid let alone want hero status. They also get fuck all discounts for being key workers, and for recognising my mood and preventing my suicide.

My psychiatrist is a dick, not my hero - but someone else's hero. He can get discounts.

Why does it annoy you that people are getting recognition or discounts? You are no more valued or important than them to most people.

Live and let live.

Your life would be a lot happier and less stress if you didn't build this fake hierarchy of heroes and stop comparing to others.

Please excused any spelling and grammar mistakes comma speech to text is not the best or easiest method of communicating

As a key worker myself, I don't think anyone is a hero for doing their job. These are the roles we chose, and if we don't like them we can leave at any time. But then I am also not subscribing to, as I predicted would happen, all the attacks on those "heroes" now because somehow they aren't doing their jobs "right" (i.e. to our current liking). It's amazing how the NHS is now increasingly the bad guy for not having appointments, critical treatment, etc all available. I understand that these things are very important and in some cases life threatening - but what did everyone think would happen when we "closed" the country and redirected already stretched resources of the services for several months? Two years ago we did the same thing for a few weeks over excess flu cases, and that had a heavy toll on the NHS. But nobody took the warning, or any of the other warnings, that if we hit a serious situation we would be swamped to an extent that we would struggle to recover from.

Instead of blaming those who have kept going, try blaming those we elected who let things get this bad in the first place.

CBA RTFT but there are always plus points and negatives with every job you just deal with it! I personally get annoyed that teachers have so many holidays. And when public sector moan about pension and no pay rises when I get the piddliest possibly contribution ever from my private sector employers and no pay rise ever. Not happy with your job, change it.

I’ll swap my 10% of Morrison’s for your 6 week unpaid summer holiday OP. But no because I’d hate to teach so accept that’s a perk unavailable to me. There’s loads of nursing vacancies if you want to re-train.

I’m random admin person. I’m an essential part of the research department in a large teaching hospital. I help set up new studies. We’ve had a lot of new studies recently funnily enough. Also home schooling a 9 year old with minimal input from the teacher (who decided my DD didn’t need any support from school) and a year 7 with ASD who normally has a TA.

know loads of teachers who did sweet FA during lockdown.......

Please don't turn this thread into yet another teacher bashing thread. Like in all job sectors you will get some people who don't work hard it don't pull their weight.

You know some who didn't work during Covid. Others know lots who did work hard during its

Just like in every other profession I suspect.

Besides, the OP doesn't even read as a teacher based in their subsequent posts. It sounds more like a thread designed to encourage your kind of posts tbh - trying to get people to slate teachers yet again.

Stop being a judgypants. Admin is important too, you know. You sound a bit jealous, tbh, that you're not getting a weekly clap or an extra cupcake.

@cutie101

can I suggest you take a look at the website Discounts for Teachers.

I am counted as a key worker as I'm in the civil service, currently on Covid related work. I didnt take up the offer of a school place for my son, nor have I attempted to obtain any of the discounts. I'm more than happy with the existing civil service discount scheme, I imagine its similar to the teachers one.

As others have suggested, its a marketing strategy to encourage you to buy from a range of specific companies

@Aragog you are right. I'm going to report my own post as I think / hope this is a goady OP

I work in admin in the nhs, every day I go to work and I get verbally abused by members of the public, my workload is huge, I cry at work most days because it's so stressful, everyone has it hard at the moment it's not a competition

It would have been fairer perhaps if those literally on the front line in terms of putting themselves at risk for the public good had been issued some kind of letter/card to "unlock" discounts at those places generous enough to offer them

It's the inequality of it that irks her. Why should only some key workers benefit but not others when the category considered worthy encompasses such a wide range of situations

But who cares... It's a small discount on shit like your morning coffee and takeaways. Are people really that arsed?

If anyone needs a discount right now it's actually the hundreds of thousands of people on furlough or losing their job completely.

I really couldn't give a toss if an NHS worker gets a discount on their dominos and I don't.

OP has determined herself who is 'worthy' of these discounts and who isn't. It's a really petty, unattractive attitude.

Stop being so immature and jealous because someone else got a minor benefit because of their job. We've seen it so much recently. It's really embarrassing.

If it's such a huge deal, go and work for the NHS.

Lots of jobs have different benefits, I'm sure there are some to being a teacher too that other professions don't have. It's the way it is.

All this 'I'm more important than them', 'I worked harder than X' nonesense is bloody cringeworthy. We're grownups. We've all been affected by this in some way. Just concentrate on yourself and crack on.

Do people honestly care about people getting a small discount?
Nhs worker here - not used anything but I did get an Easter egg - I ate it for lunch 🤣 I thought it was a very kind gesture, nice of people to think of us and we really needed kindness at times. I agree the the ptsd posts....
At the time there was a thread similar to this, which although was mean spirited did make me consider the lady at the train station, so took her some chocolates. Many people stepped up.
Nasty thread op.