Nobody is allowed to choose not to work. Fed up of hearing this expression.

[girlfriend44]

I keep hearing people say people who choose not to work. Target them.
Nobody is allowed to choose not to work. I wonder if some people actually know what they are talking about?

Nobody is allowed to just lounge around and not look for work.

Able bodied people on UC who don't have a paid job are harassed all the time.
They will probably be attending interviews at the jobcentre once a week, where they have to provide evidence they are jobsearching 35 hours a week.

They can be sanctioned over any little thing.
They have to attend any courses they are sent on, even if they are useless courses. Non attendance will end in a sanction.

The staff can arrange interviews on their behalf if the employer has a tie up with the jobcentre which some do.
If it's deemed you didn't try hard enough at the interview, the employer can discuss this with the staff,and you'll be hauled up and sanctioned for not trying.

Those who think people choose not to work please be educated.
It's a hostile environment for anyone out of work.
Not every able bodied person can find employment.
Your not just allowed to sit at home and choose not to work though.

You'll have a claimant commitment and you have to provide evidence of jobsearching. 35 hours too.

I think alot of people who comment don't really know. Everyone is under pressure.
The days of just signing on once a fortnight and not having to.prove your doing everything you can have long gone.

But this is not the case for everyone.
i know someone who chooses not to work, she has literally no reason to other than she doesn’t want to. She’s qualified in nothing and doesn’t want to lower herself to working in a supermarket.
I am sick of it to be honest.

I’m sure that’s the case for some people, however a few years back I signed on for a year or so as I decided to go back to college.

No hassle, they knew I was at college and never pushed me to find work.

Your description of signing on isn’t universal.

As said, if she's claiming she can't just say she dosent want to work.

But some people do choose not to work.

My FIL has a health condition but he could absolutely do a lot of jobs, I know this because people with the same condition work in these jobs. However he is one of those people who has managed to get himself on a lot of benefits back when it was easier to do so and now seemingly no one is inclined to tell him he can't have them anymore.

Oh and MIL also chooses not to work as she has managed to convince them that FIL needs a full time carer despite her doing absolutely no caring duties.

Neither of them ever have to prove anything or have sanctions or any of the things you mention.

This is absolutely not everyone and for a lot of more recent benefit claimants it is very hard to get any help but there are people out there choosing not to work.

OP, your post isn’t representative of many people at all.

This is the issue. She’s now being pushed to find work. Her kids have been in full time school for years and now she’s being pushed to find a job and isn’t happy.
I have juggled full time work and kids for years. Some people do take the piss, there’s no way around it. I’m not saying this is the case for you but you’re naive if you think everyone is working hard to find a job because it simply isn’t the case.

What’s the problem with making sure someone claiming benefits is actually looking for work?
Why do you think signing on once a fortnight with no other interaction is a good thing?

i have family who choose not to work. Sure they go to the job centre every couple weeks and have to attend job fairs a couple times a year but they’ve been doing it for years so the job coaches know them and just tick the boxes to say they’ve attended and get them to meet with any new companies at the fair. Most of the companies are looking for care workers and my cousin said ‘I really don’t care so care work isn’t for me’ and that was that. She has £40 a week for food, clothes, phone, electric after paying her rent top up, but says she’d rather live like that and be happy and free than on minimum wage working all hours and have similar funds.
similar story with another cousin until he got signed off sick with mental health and now he’s on more money but I don’t know how much exactly, and again he’s so much happier than lots of us on NMW and working 40 hours a week.

They can't be signing on....or actively jobseeking for benefits. You cannot choose. Things were massively tightened up in 2013.
Detailed diary of jobseeking and 35 hours a week too is required.

So people should be allowed to chose not to bother to work? really?

I do see your point and it’s being made steadily harder to claim benefits and not work. However I think there are, and probably always will be people who know how to play the system in order to get the results that they want. I’ve encountered a few in my job…they know exactly which buttons to push and what to say, to who so that they get put on the right benefits.
it’s unfair though to judge everybody by their behaviour, I’m sure they’re in the minority.

Your post wasn't about signing on for job seekers. Your post was that no one is choosing not to work. People do choose not to work they may be people who have got themselves on to benefits other than job seekers.

Again as said if she wants to claim and she's fit for work, she will need to attend interviews at the jobcentre with an advisor and fill.out a jobseeking diary for 35 hours a week to prove what she's doing.
You might tell her about that.

I don't see what's hostile about being sent on courses or offered job interviews? Surely these people want a job?

Of course they not going to say they don’t want to work . They’ll play the game and pretend they do want to work.

Absolutely not saying he's not taking the piss, but this I know this because people with the same condition work in these jobs isn't a valid premise to your conclusion and it isn't a fair way to judge people. Most medical conditions, mental health issues and disabilities vary in severeity, often some or even most most people with a specific condition can work that doesn't mean they all can.

I was on uc for a time op and that’s not my experience

I do take your point and I apologise for making the generalisation, however as a close family member I can assure you they are both certainly taking the piss and have admitted so on many occasions. It's like a badge of honour in their circle.

Yes I know a couple like this. In their mi-sixties now, and I've known them for 20 years and neither has worked in that time. They have lovely holidays abroad and do a lot of childcare for their grandchildren.

I do recruitment as part of my role. We can lots of people submitting deliberately shit applications to count as part of their job seeking. Smiley faces and no text as part of their qualifications or when showing how they meet the job spec. We use an online recruitment portal and HR did some digging and found that people were submitting the same sort of bollocks to multiple posts usually entry level roles and it was all so they could show they had applied for X jobs that week. Or you throw the interview by being deliberately awful. I'm in the public sector and we don't have any sort of tie in with the Jobcentres and have never been asked for feedback by them on any candidates

Some people are very happy to jump through the hoops for universal credit compared to a 40 hour week plus commute.

I know two people who do exactly this.
One very well , they certainly don’t get sent to interviews or have to prove they are looking for work for 35 hours a week. Phone call with the job centre once a fortnight.
You absolutely can get away with choosing not to work sometimes.

I don't get the issue OP?

The UK can no longer afford to support everyone that we do. So get em back to work if they are able to...??

Unfortunately I also know two people who are choosing not to work. One claims to have lingering symptoms from glandular fever 20+ years ago and then other cites her wanting to pursue another career although she lives with her retired dad so can afford not to worry about earning. If they didn't have parents to support them, would that force their hands. Neither have children or are likely too and neither seem particularly interest in actually earning any money. Are they more of these adults over 40 who simply choose to live at home?

I know of a 50 year old who is proud that she's never had a job. She thinks the rest of us are mugs for working.