To this is absolutely insane! Universal Credit Sanction

[ThisIsInsane]

Adult DD has had an absolute nightmare trying to get a job since she was fired just before Christmas,

She wasn’t happy in the role previous to that so applied for another, got it, gave her resignation. Three days into the new role, she was told, she wasn’t a good fit and immediately fired. She did absolutely nothing wrong btw.

This has massively affected her mental health. She’s never been fired before or been unemployed.

She has literally applied for over 1500 jobs since then, only got two interviews which she wasn’t successful at.

She missed a UC appointment in June. Not sure what exactly happened but she has evidence of her job search. At every appointment they tell her she’s applying for a lot of jobs and there’s noting they can do to help.

They have sanctioned her UC so she has only got £7!

According to the letter she has been sanctioned for 30 days for a first offence of missing one appointment after 6 months in which they have not helped her find a job!

She has an appointment later today and I’m planning to go with her to complain as she isn’t in the right head space to. I just think it’s totally disgusting! She lives at home luckily but can’t pay her phone bill even!

Imagine if she was living on her own and had no support!

AIBU to think this is extreme and unjustifiable punishment?

Thank you. I have helped family and friends when they’ve struggled and I believe everyone should have access to someone who may be able to help as the job centre is not fit for purpose.

@Lemonysnipit

I am amazed that they are still called JOB CENTRE / JOB CENTRE PLUS at all!

Would love to know how the UK compares to other countries now after reading this thread eg Sweden as per a previous poster ...

would you also agree that being stuck in a shitty job you hate is also enough to make someone actually clinically depressed enough to be able to claim benefits?

It can do, yes. It's why I frequently tell people IRL that money isn't everything. Plenty of people would be better off if they had a job they found less stressful, or didn't work for an arsehole boss, or just did something better suited to their personality, rather than staying in an unsuitable job for the wages or the lifestyle it pays for. Many people know little about budgeting and believe they need to earn far more than they actually do, believing in turn that they "can't" leave a job that's making them unwell.

I'm not talking about "self declaring", I'm talking about people being diagnosed, don't know where you've got that from.

Also just because one job makes a person depressed (or developing some other health condition as a result of chronic extreme stress) that doesn't necessarily mean they can't work at all. Not all health conditions are permanent and for some people getting the right job for them or same job in the right company, alongside some time to recover, is all that's needed.

As for the country being buggered, I agree with you there. If more people weren't obsessed with earning money to the exclusion of all else, there'd be a lot less unhappy people and unhealthy people around. Both in terms of the ill health that can be caused to the person doing it and the misery their selfishness (not all are selfish though) causes to others around them. Our government and society promotes working yourself into the ground. That affects the NHS. It affects social care. It means nobody has time to support others informally because they need all their energies to survive their work schedule and what little is left over goes to their DC and spouse. There's is insufficient work/life balance, many people are miserable even if not depressed and society is at each others throats over it with a mentality of perceiving "you've got something I haven't, I want it, it isn't fair". If people were happy with their own lives they'd be a lot less concerned with what others were doing and perceived unfairness. And the world would be a more harmonious place with far less dickheads in it.

Sorry but you have very little understanding of the effect of mental health issues. People who have insurmountable phobias like this are supported by disability benefits, which are among the hardest benefits to claim, and for which claimants need to present robust medical evidence to support everything they say. And yes, of course it’s acceptable. If you have an overwhelming mental health problem which has a significant impact on your day to day living, then you have a disability. Perhaps stop listening to government rhetoric designed to get the public on board for cuts to benefits which will make the lives of genuinely disabled people much worse, and do some research into the reality - it’s all there online if you care to look and understand.

Work is not a miracle cure for mental health problems. Sometimes work itself is the cause of them. OP’s DD needs a proper mental health assessment and appropriate support to look for work. She also needs appropriate adjustment and extra help from the jobcentre to find something suitable. You can’t just slot disabled people into whatever work is available and the sooner people realise this the better.

Not everyone is in the same position - that’s the point. These sanctions apply to claimants who have nowhere else to turn and are responsible for their own living costs. And it’s hugely unreasonable of you to assume that OP can afford to subsidise her DD living at home.

@PandoraSocks Love your post! I can never decide whether to spend mine on gin or a nice bottle of rosé. And if gin should it be Bombay Sapphire or Gordons?

@Rosscameasdoody It's such a pity that there isn't a way of sorting out work environments so that they are a) not a cause of MH problems and b) welcoming places where those who are already suffering can seek respite and take advantage of the distractions offered by a job. As it is, those who tend to thrive in the workplace are those who can play politics and many can't and wouldn't want to.

I don’t think anyone has said ‘miracle cure’ but posters are looking at op’s dd situation rather than other examples which may be more extreme, such as below.

She needs to talk to ger gp about her mental health

Will Denmark do?
I work as an advisor at a jobcenter. Socialwork includes employment here, and I am a sw though most of my colleagues are not. I work with the insured unemployed (public sector workers) in one of the larger county councils. With those who have insurance it's not the jobcenter who sanctions job seekers - it's the insurance company, and they really do vary. A missed appointment will mean no money until you contact the jobcenter again. I am obligated to inform the insurance companies if someone isn't upholding their end of the deal, or even if I suspect they're not. Someone who repeatedly misses appts would probably not be sanctioned for that but might be under more scrutiny - they would check the joblog more often for example. If they failed to turn up to activation then they really wouldn't be given any benefit of the doubt.

I am responsible for making sure that they are activated (work experience or a course) and that the activation is appropriate for their needs. Job seekers are as a rule expected to apply for a minimum of 2 jobs per week within a radius of 3 hours of transport time on public transport. If you have caring responsibilities then I can excuse you from evening and night shifts. You can get benefits for 1 year if you are a new graduate or 2 years if you have worked ft for one year. My clients meet with me about once a month to check in and see how everything is going. I usually get good feedback that they feel supported and heard which is nice.

Some people do take the piss. The vast majority do not, but we all make mistakes. I really try to guide so they don't make mistakes.

If you're uninsured then you get less money, and are supposed to be in constant activation. Don't quote me on that though because there's a new reform that's kicking in and it's not my department. Most people working with this and other groups are sw.

It all sounds a bit shit OP, and hard to know what to do.

Be interesting to see how AI interprets her CV.

Have you tried putting something in the cover note like "I hope you will give me the opportunity to explain the gaps on my CV"?

The employment tribunal wouldn’t have been just because the boss said one thing nasty about a member of staff @Flumpflimpo !!