To take a job with the DWP even though I will lose friends

[Sunsnet]

I currently work a minimum wage job in retail. It's long hours, exhausting and for really shitty money. Sometimes I earn less than minimum wage as I'm salaried and not entitled to overtime.

I've just been offered a job with the DWP. I'll earn 50% more, have a WAY better pension plus more benefits. I'll even be able to work fewer hours so I can spend more time with my family and STILL be better off than now. BUT, I have friends who think the DWP is immoral and by working for them I will be implicit in that immorality.

I agree that the way the DWP works at the moment is immoral, but surely we need good people to work there to ensure that people who need the help and are entitled to it actually get it. Or am I just clutching at straws to justify my position?

I have one friend in particular who says they will never speak to me again if I take the job. This friend is independently wealthy and never needs to work again, I am not. I do not own property, have a family to support, I'm a single parent and I have no qualifications so have no hope of a better job.

Would I really be that awful a person to sell out and take this job?

I couldn't do it, and I couldn't be friends with anyone who worked in the PIP department either. I'd rather live in a box.

I agree with other posters who have said put your children first.

I've had to deal with DWP on behalf of one of my brothers. I now realise decent, polite, engaged people make all the difference even if they are unable to change the situation in terms of policies etc. Be one of those!! 😊

Thanks everyone. It seems that with very few exceptions the consensus that it's my 'friend' who is being unreasonable. They're also the one who is telling me I'll lose multiple friends so maybe that's not entirely the case, most people have been happy for me.

Oh look. The OP's "friend" has popped up.
Just get over yourself. Someone has to do this job. It isn't as if the OP is a drug dealer or people trafficker which is morally reprehensible.

My manager used to work for DWP. She now manages a team of welfare rights advisers and two welfare rights trainers!

You will be a civil servant, that's all you need to say.

Ditto

There is a reason why civil servants used to be advised not to discuss their work with friends and family. It's a big enough organisation to be able to transfer to other departments once you have some experience. Many years ago I worked at what was then the DHSS and they were the worst people I've worked with across the 40 years of work. I moved to the tax office and my colleagues were delightful. Give it a go you'll soon know whether it's for you or not but I wouldn't worry about your friends, it's really not their call.

Whatever you are so outraged about is going to happen whether the OP works for them
or not.
All these friends sound rather thick to me.

Congratulations on winning your appeal, @YoureALizardHarry11 !

I'm intrigued by this in your post upthread:

"If you’re a PIP decision maker, for instance, and your superior asks you to deduct points so a person is no longer entitled, even though you have moral objections, could you do it?"

Does this actually happen? I do a lot of PIP applications, and a fair few appeals. I also support less experienced colleagues with appeals. When I get the "bundle", the first thing I look at is the assessor's report and see if the points awarded matches the report, and it invariably does. So are DWP managers actually altering the reports made by the "independent" assessors, or are they just not awarding the points that tally with the report?

The second thing I do is compare the assessor's report to what I know about the client's difficulties and what we put on the form, and it's generally complete and utter bollocks. That's not down to the DWP though, but the companies contracted to do the assessments.

Just tell people you work for the civil service.

Your so called friend is a total dick, no one will care.

Congratulations Op. Sounds like a fantastic opportunity.

Mention of the Home Office upthread reminded me that a friend, who worked in the immigration department dealing with asylum applications, simply used to lie about her job.

She gave up telling the truth because the xenophobes would start having a go at her for letting in too many people and the more inclusive would have a go at her for turning too many applications down.

Take the job op and look after yourself first. Dont tell anyone.

I don’t know exactly what happens, given that I don’t work for them, but they definitely lie and twist things a lot, and cherry pick things out of what the claimant says.

The decision maker rang me up before the appeal and made a report about what I apparently said on the phone which was full of half truths with loads of 💩 mixed in to suit their narrative.

I’ve heard, anecdotally though, that decision makers can be asked to change the points awarded, I don’t know how true, but what I do know is they’re skilled at tying themselves in knots to justify refusing a claim! I couldn’t sleep well at night doing that to people.

There are some jobs that might put me off someone but civil servant definitely isn't one of them.

I only know what my closest friends do for work, it's not really something I'd talk to someone about or be interested to know.

But PIP isn't the only thing the DWP do. They also pay State Pensions and other benefits. The OP might not have anything to do with PIP.

Yes, I realise that, which is why I said to the OP upthread that she should try the job and see as there are hundreds of roles. My latest post was in response to a poster asking me about my PIP claim experience.

It's really easy to have "morals" when it really makes no difference to you. Take the job. I dont think it's immoral anyway. And a change of government is likely soon.

DWP isn't "immoral", your "friends" don't understand how politics and the civil service work. Politicians set agendas, civil servants act out the agenda of the government, it's how democracy works, civil servants are supposed to be political neutral.

*in their work

Take the job , why would they want you to continue the way you are rather than improving your situation, a true friend would support you not hold you back

Your so-called friend is a bit thick. The DWP is one of the biggest operational departments in government with tens of thousands of staff working on loads of different things all over the country. They don't just do benefits (and would he rather people didn't receive their benefits or help at the job centre as someone has to sort that out?). They do pensions, job centres, cost of living support, employment training to help people into work, workplace health and safety. In the same way not everyone at the Home Office is working to deport illegal migrants, and HMRC needs workers to collect tax so we can pay for public services. He is completely out of touch with how the world works, and how your family would benefit from a good, solid job like this. Take it and lose the friend. They are no friend.

I think you should take the job. Not everybody who works for the dwp is horrible and to have more decent people join might help if only a little.
You have made me think about whether there are any jobs I would find incompatible with being someones friend. I think the only jobs which would put me off a friend would be if they worked in an abattoir, were a butcher or in porn or prostitution.

Op I'm glad most of your friends are happy for you. That is a normal happy reaction.

You have one rich friend trying to discourage from taking the job.
Hmmm - what's their motivation ?

How are they really rich but have a such very negative view of the DWP? I can't imagine really rich people have too many dealings with DWP.
Are they not as rich as they make out but scamming the system and scared 😱 you might rumble them ?

All very well if your mortgage provider or landlord offers the option to pay in ethics. In my experience, they almost always prefer cash.