A thread to show some love for the less-recognised key workers

[Dyrne]

Don’t get me wrong, I think all the recognition and praise for the NHS, Teachers, Delivery drivers and shop workers are bloody well deserved; and it’s right that they should be thanked for keeping going right now.

It’s just sometimes I get a little sad for my colleagues who do an ‘invisible’ job people don’t even really think about, but is critical to keep the country functioning.

So can we have a little love here as well to show some appreciation for:

Utility Workers (Gas, Electric, Water, Broadband)
Bin men
Those who volunteer with the vulnerable (food banks, befriending, citizens advice)
Postmen
Plumbers, electricians etc
Vets
Mechanics, roadside assistance
Police, Fire, Coastguard, Lifeboat
Early Years workers (nurseries, childminders, nannies)

Has anyone got any others to add?

We have a shit load of people processing the mortgage payment holiday applications which have increased more than a hundredfold per week - from a couple of hundred a week to about 50,000.

DWP staff.

Prison officers please! We are always forgotten about. They are like a grenade with the pin pulled at the moment. It’s only a matter of time before it blows up

IT staff everywhere, keeping essential systems up and running (999, online shopping, DWP etc). Often working out of hours, doing planned changes or fixing unplanned ones in the middle of the night.

Lorry drivers

This too. On my very occasional and state-endorsed trips out of the house, I now see roads that are 90% lorry traffic and think of them all driving 000s of miles each week ot get all our 'stuff' where it needs to be.

Prison staff!

Milkmen.

Mine is still delivering at 5.30am - probably the best time to deliver!

Prison staff!

100%

In particular Bin men for me. I returned from an extra long shift yesterday ( I am a vet) to find they had carefully tucked all my bins up so that they didn't fly off on to someone else's property.
Also the taxi driver who delivered my meat from the local butchers after I got home,
The teachers who are so how keeping my 16 year old motivated to study even though GCSEs are cancelled.
Also the bank staff who are still working so that as a business we can pay money in to keep everything moving to pay staff.

Yes, all great additions! There are so many people who work away in the background and who don’t get noticed; because the idea is if they’re doing their jobs properly people don’t even think about it!

for everyone working at the moment to keep the country running.

Keep ‘em coming; I’m sure there’s more!

Ah yes to to the prison staff 👏 including the residents cleaning the wings and the mental health and physical health nurses in prison, as well as officers of course.

And big thanks to the psychologists and nurses in our me talk health crisis teams busy saving lives 👏

Don't forget cleaners! They are doing an amazing job.
All my family are keyworkers so its a normal days for us..
I'm a teacher who had half a class (as they have EHCP)
My brother is a gas engineer still on emergency calls.
My mum works in a pharmacy
And my other brother is a phlobotamist in hospital.
My dad has had a recient heart attack so is in isolation so we have to be very careful of him as we are still out in the public but all still live with him.

Mental health! Not me talk!!!

Carers looking after the elderly and having to deal with families who don’t understand why they can’t visit and giving us grief every day

Housing and Homeless officers - they are still in working and trying to access accommodation for people in very challenging times

HMRC staff working non stop to make sure people get paid

The staff at the DfE who are coordinating education provision across the country so key workers can send their children to school, and working closely with schools and local authorities to figure out how we will all get through this - policies having to be written at lightning speed, funding provided, safeguarding ensured in an unusual environment - it's bloody exhausting but so proud to be doing our bit.

So glad to see a few mentions to prison staff. My husband is an officer and is now working 50 hours a week for the foreseeable future. They're moving entire wings and locking already angry prisoners up for 23 hours a day. It's only a matter of time before the riots start.

Farmers. They’re still going.

It pains me to say it but ... the banks!
Imagine if you had no way of paying for your food, electricity, etc.

NHS therapists

Not just NHS, those in the third sector and in private practice many of whom have seen their income slashed and are now offering free support to colleagues in the NHS and other direct services.

There are many in the financial sector still going to work too. I've been told that my husband who is still going into London working 14 hour days isn't a real 'key worker' because he doesn't get pushed around like a Morrisons delivery driver. He came home on Thursday after staring at a screen and fielding calls for 14 hours looking like he was on the verge of a heart attack.

So not exactly key workers, but I have to say I feel hugely sorry for holiday and insurance company call centre workers. They are probably getting loads of abuse for cancellations and weasly policy wordings that are totally outside their control.

Water treatment and supply works.

My milkman, and the dairy farmer 3 miles away he gets his milk from.