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?

What grade is the job?

Unless your new job is as the secretary of state for work and pensions, take it and improve your life. If you are going to be the new SecState DWP, then I wish you luck! You'll need a thick skin/alligator hide, and an exit route!

Sounds to me like your friend has something to be worried about.. take the job it’s a no brainier

Just do it. Friend is clearly cushioned from real life. The rest of us don't have that luxury. A public service job is just that, giving service to the public & for that you deserve thanks not brickbats. Good luck

I think you should take the job if it's right for you.

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

But, I would seriously think about whether it is right for you.

If you are going to be in a role where you are being pressured to sanction vulnerable people then think about whether that is something you could handle day in day out.

There is research showing that some people in those roles end up with mental health issues.

I'm not sure how this is a question now. DWP isn't 'just apply and get an interview then get a job offer. Surely you thought about that throughout the process?

I worked for the DWP ( and previous named departments) for many years.

Even if your friends have objections to the staff who are in the unenviable situation of making decisions to terminate benefit payments, these staff are very much in the minority. Even these staff don’t set policy. They are just normal people earning a wage.

The vast majority of staff, however, are employed in administering benefit payments.
Without them there would be no disability or pension payments, no UC to lone parents and or payments to careers.

Your uninformed friends should be careful what they wish for.

Principles don't pay the rent or bills or put food on the table.
Easy to take the so called moral high ground when you're independently wealthy. Take the job and crack on with your new life and enjoy.

I used to work for them years ago, when they were still the DSS. I was basically a filing clerk, had zero decision making powers and had no impact on benefit claims whatsoever. A lot of people who work for them don’t, there’s HR/IT/record management and the like.

I have actually looked into working for them again as an AA but seems much harder to get into now than when I was an 18yo school leaver! Go for it!

Go for it. If necessary just tell people you work for the civil service.
The staff at DWP just follow the rules. They don't make them.
Why should you decline a job with much better money and benefits just because some of your so called friends don't approve?

Take the job! If your friends drop you, they weren’t friends after all.

i used to work in a similar but different job. Welfare benefits is a fascinating area to work in.

I also used to work in council tax. I felt I was able to make a positive difference. Treating people well goes a long way. Taking the time to understand their problems and listen to people also helps. I had a degree of discretion and used it wherever possible. I also went out of my way to ensure they were getting all the help they were entitled to. You can make a difference in your job and I’m sure you will.

Your friends are weird

Definitely take the job, do it honestly and well.

If you are asked to do anything that is actually unethical (depriving people of benefits they should be entitled to, lying about someone's capability, sanctioning people for things genuinely beyond their control) then keep written records and be a whistle-blower to get these things stopped. Or perhaps you will find that you aren't asked to do anything unethical in which case you are fine.

Also, your experience in the DWP job will open many doors elsewhere if you decide to change jobs in the future .

If no one worked at the DWP no one would be awarded benefits... if any of those objecting to you taking the job found themselves on the bones of their arse I'm sure they'd be quite happy to engage with those they appear to regard as the immoral wage slaves of the DWP.

Take the job and do the best you can for people within the rules.

Congratulations on your new job and good luck

Take the job!

The civil service has a lot of problems but if ethical people won’t go work there that isn’t going to help is it?!

Your friends sound incredibly stupid.

Absolutely this. Politicians make the rules, civil servants carry them out. And for someone who has no need to earn money to be so high and mighty, that's just wrong.

Take the job. Find new friends.

There's lots of employers that are ethically dodgy - many major banks, tax avoiders like amazon, sewage companies etc. We can't all ensure our employers are perfect. All we can do is try not to condone or participate directly in such practices.

Take the job. Your “friend” is posturing because they can afford it. Ignore them. Do what is right for you and your family.

Take the job. If anyone sticks their beak in do you have to say where you work? There are lots of government agencies, just have a different story. Just be careful because most are not employing at the mo. These people haven’t got your best interests at heart

i think the DWP would be awful whether you took the job or not and you are right that it’s better that good people work there. However, a good person might struggle in an environment like that.

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.

I'd expect the majority of people working for the DWP are good people too, same as other large government departments with many different roles and work areas.

deary me this is ridiculous of your friends . Take the job

Your independently wealthy friend is being an absolute dick! Tell them so in very strong terms and good riddance to them.

Enjoy the better salary and conditions. Well done to you 🥂