I was going to write the next part of the job seeking saga but I read something today that made me incandescent!
The cover story in the Sydney Morning Herald was about women who bully other women in the workplace. It is an unsurprising article by Kath Lockett but still very disappointing.
Bullying in the workplace makes me really angry. I know my response to this is not just because it is plain old fashioned wrong but also because I have been subjected to it myself and I know the impact of it on the victim...and make no bones about it ..that is exactly what you are.
When you are the chosen subject of the bully you start to think that you must be stupid or incompetent or lazy or anythign they try to throw at you - you start to believe this even though there is so much evidence to the contrary.
Using myself for example - I have worked for many years in universities throughout the UK and Australia. I have been asked to stay on when I resigned, I have had letters of appreciation from various management boards, I have worked long hours willingly and enthusiastically and most of all I know the ropes. But then some new manager comes along (often a woman I regret to say) and decides you are not the person she wants in that job(often she wants to bring in her own staff) so suddenly you are loaded with extra work - you are being checked up on and those people you interact with are asked to report back to the manager on all your work, you are marginalised and kept from meetings, you are ignored in meetings, you are called in to private meetings and told how incompetent you are and the pressure to make life unpleasant for you is increased daily until you are a nervous wreck and really can't cope. In my case I went to the doctor who told me that this is a straight forward case of bullying and to lodge a workcover certificate. Her support was vital to me. I had felt isolated until this doctor made me look at what was going on.
But here is where the system fails the individual - first of all the workcover officer in the university is paid by the university and represents the university which is my case is self insured. So, it comes as no surprise to know that the role she/he has to undertake is to look after the university (or their employer). So you are being forced to attend ridiculous pyschiatric testing and the implication is that you are a trouble maker and causing issues, you are forced to give lengthy statements in front of external legal staff - remember all this is when you are on workrelated stress leave anyway.
So who do you go to? I tried the union as I have been a union member for 30 years they were the logical first step. That was a mistake - when you work in a university the unions have little staff and those industrial officers that are allocated are often not interested in the individual but are more interested in the enterprise bargaining tole they have. In my case the industrial officer failed to be available for meetings, she never called me back despite 3 calls and 2 visits to the office ALL at a time when I had been notified that I was to be terminated. I never got support from the union and I now advise everyone to forget joining the union in this sector....and this is from someone who was a union officer for many years. (In my case my industrial officer didn't actually start work until 10am at the earliest in a university where most staff starts at 8.30am. the reason given was because she lived too far away. As a paid up member I feel there is a big question there about recruiting a paid staff member who lives too far away to do her job)
Whilst I had a lot of support from people I had worked for prior to this new head of school arriving and they were willing to speak up for me. My own staff that had reported to me were very happy to speak up also. The pressure that I was put under by the university made it just too hard and too stressful. I was even told by the workcover officer that my previous boss had not supported me - that was an outright porky pie.
For all Julia Gillard's good intentions there is no happy ending for those who are bullied at work unless they have enough money to employ expensive solicitors..
Incidentally I was told that as a union member I was entitled to a free meeting with a union solicitor -I needed this because I had no idea of my rights regarding the termination. Despite my requesting either the name of the solicitor so that I could make an appointment or the appointment time I was NEVER given the information and the time that I could take action passed. Once again I stress - forget joining a union now - they either dont have the resources or they dont have the staff to be effective and it is best not to have expectations of assistance rather than feel the disappointment of the lack of support when you have paid your union fees.
Friday 25 September 2009
Tuesday 22 September 2009
Job service providers - mmmm
2009 will be known by me as the year I got fired.
Now this is not strictly true - I didn't actually get fired -what happened was I was working in a university in Sydney and my contract was not extended as had been promised so it saved them from firing me but I suspect they would have because the new boss (a female) hated me.
To be honest I wasn't that worried about that job ending - it had been a bit of nightmare job but I really WAS worried about the newspaper's reports of rising unemployment figures and increasing redundancies. I know I would have endured a little longer the daily bullying, 12 hour days and the stress. The rumours around the campus were that the university was short of money for a variety of reasons and no new jobs were about to be created. Those that had jobs were sticking!
I should say right now that I am an older worker - to put it nicely - and I have not really had to look for work for many years. In fact I don't think I have ever had to look for work. I am fortunate in being a good "networker" and jobs have come to me. For the past 20 years I had been recommended from one contract to another. This was different situation! I had fairly recently returned to Australia and had not had time to build up contacts - I had no money and my family were not here.
There is nothing like the fear of poverty to focus you!!!!
The truth is - I was in a silent panic. - I had an expensive apartment and no one to turn to when the rent came due. Job hunting was now the total focus of my life in my waking hours and unfortunately also those hours that were meant to be my sleeping hours.
"Sign on" my colleagues said. To those not familiar with the Australian system - "signing on" means applying for unemployment support from the government. With no other choices appearing on the horizon I took their advice and I did what every unemployed person does in this country - I visited Centrelink.
Despite the many very good people working for Centrelink (and I met a few) this visit in itself will send your self esteem plummeting down through the all the previously hidden levels of the pain and fear imaginable. With good intent (and also a requirement to receive any financial support) I was instructed to attend a JOB services provider.
As a newcomer to this whole situation I admit I was a bit excited about the fact that I was going to receive some moral support and jobseeking assistance. I had been battling with all this on my own. What a great country we live in I thought to myself! I was so naive. For those of you have been through this process you will understand as soon as I say Job Services Provider.
I would like to say right now to anyone who believes they are going to get assistance to find a job or any support in sustaining your sanity through these tortuous waters, suspend expectations! I would like to most compassionately, and as gently as possible, suggest that you abandon any expectations of support and assistance and spare yourself disappointment. These places are about as counterproductive as you could possibly imagine. They are there to monitor you. Let me describe my first visit.
I met with the Manager/Assessor who tells me that I must sign an agreement to attend their office twice a week and I must spend 2 hours there. "I can do that" I think to myself. In fact it seems like a good idea to me for after all I can use their phone and their printers and save myself some money. I am then shown the "job search" room which is a grand name for a seedy looking room divided in two with about 7 old computers around the edge and some plastic outdoor chairs. All computers are connected to one printer. There are also 3 telephones - smack bang in the middle of the computer room. Privacy is not regarded as important.
"Okay this is grubby and not ideal but I can deal with that" I again think to myself. Although the thought of having to "sell" myself on the phone to some managing director of a company or the dean of a faculty in front of 10 people (all waiting for the phone and closely listening) was not attractive. But hey, I would cross that bridge when I came to it.
I wake up early the following morning and get myself over to the job search office to find out that of the 7 computers there, 3 are not working and there are already people waiting for the operational ones to be available. I also notice a sign saying that if you have not been employed for very long you must not use the computers in the morning as they are for the people who are longer term unemployed. Now this definitely does not make sense to me. The first rule of job huntiong is that you are most likely to get a job when you are either employed or recently unemployed! It crosses my mind that they are creating a new group of long term unemployed by denying them access to the computers?
Ok, I think to myself. Chill out girl! I go off for a walk for an hour and come back at the time allocated for those who have been unemployed for less than 6 months. When I sit down the first thing I notice is that - one of these computers is being openly used by a woman who is writing her novel, another one is being used by a woman who is marking papers for some language exam (she obviously had a job!) and printing them out. So I sit there waiting for them to do their "work" or for someone responsible to come and notice that they were not job hunting. No one comes. No one ever comes. The only time I have ever seen anyone come into the job hunting room from the "funded" organisation was to conduct an intensely private and humiliating conversation in front of the group sitting there. I watched the "focus" of this conversation cringe so much I actually got up and left the room to try and alleviate even slightly the embarassment he must have been feeling.
I finally do get access to one of the computers. It is lunchtime by now and the others have left to get something to eat. I spend the first hour preparing a job application letter (for the younger people who work at these places I should highlight that when you get a bit more mature you accumulate a plethora of skills and experience - the consolation prize is that if age is against you, time has helped you accumulate a fair bit of knowledge. Hence the application takes longer and more things have to be edited out)
After writing a carefully crafted (albeit time consuming) letter with some satisfaction I reach the point of attaching this masterpiece to my email . The only other thing left to do is upload my CV. It is after a few failed attempts at uploading that I am told by the person on the next computer "oh you cant attach anything on a few of these computers- that one is the worst" .Hence I cannot upload my application letter nor my CV. I have wasted 3 hours of precious time. At this point I am starting to feel a little harrassed and frustrated - the failings of this organisation are beginning to show themselves in ways that are causing me problems and preventing me finding a job. How do these people (who I believe get $1000 per person from the federal government) expect you to apply for a job when you cant even upload your CV or write a letter to the potential employer?
I breathe. In time of stress just breathe. I try to breathe deeply and I change computers - I begin the whole process again trying to recall the content of the letter I had previously written which has now been lost to cyber space. The same thing happens - failure to upload!
To add insult to injury, 5 hours later I leave the building after some female employee comes into the room sand with no warning says "computer off right now, I am locking up and you are leaving".
No application sent, another day unemployed and my rent "due date" looming ahead!
The next day - after a night of little sleep the panic escalates and I am at the job search room before anyone else. I think I will pretend to be long term unemployed and use the computer first. I don't think I need to tell you reader that I am one of life's optimists. I really believe that today will be much better and that yesterday was just a little glitch.
I arrive to find another computer out of action (that makes 3 now and to spare me mentioning them again I will tell you now that these remain out of action for the next two weeks and those computers that are unable to upload cv's or documents continue to do their worst without any interference from an IT support person to this day).
I log on to the most hidden computer only to find myself sitting beside a man who appears quite distressed. He tells me he has been told to sit down at the computer and find a job by his job search consultant and he has never used a computer. Remember this man, who is not only feeling a failure because he has lost his job now feels useless because he has never used a computer. Not one person in this funded organisation has taken the time to either ask him about that or to show him how to. After watching him struggle for half an hour I succumb and that morning is taken up helping not just him but another 3 unemployed people to use a computer to find work! My allocated time on the computer has gone and another day - no job application - no phone calls made and a day closer to rent due date!
I am contracted to attend this place two days a week. If I don't attend I can't get my unemployment benefit - the only money I have coming in at the moment. So I must continue to attend - on most days (because it is the season) I am sitting next to people with the flu or coughing with chesty coughs, somedays there are those who are distressed and crying and on the worst days I am forced to hear people's personal and embarrassing needs discussed in front of a whole room. That I find very difficult. I find people not being treated with respect as one of the worst misdemeanours. I find it personally painful to observe that. One day there was a very distinguished looking older man asking if there was any way he could get some money for shoes (for an interview). There was no private conversation. He was forced to suffer the humiliation in front of a room full of people. There is no respect here. Is that the penalty for not having a job? When you lose your job do you lose the right to be treated with respect? The old myth of the "dole bludger" lives one I suspect. That is lesson number one.
The situation improves once you begin to realise that you attend this place because you have to - you have no expectations and you do your actual job hunting at home. From my persepctive this process is a huge waste of government funding and I can think of a hundred ways it could work better. It is counterproductive to the process of finding work.
But all is not doom and gloom -
Next posting I will introduce you to some processes that do work and some places that actually do help you...there are places in Sydney who treat you with respect and take the time to help and surprise surprise they are not the ones the government pays for! (or rather YOU pay for!!)
Now this is not strictly true - I didn't actually get fired -what happened was I was working in a university in Sydney and my contract was not extended as had been promised so it saved them from firing me but I suspect they would have because the new boss (a female) hated me.
To be honest I wasn't that worried about that job ending - it had been a bit of nightmare job but I really WAS worried about the newspaper's reports of rising unemployment figures and increasing redundancies. I know I would have endured a little longer the daily bullying, 12 hour days and the stress. The rumours around the campus were that the university was short of money for a variety of reasons and no new jobs were about to be created. Those that had jobs were sticking!
I should say right now that I am an older worker - to put it nicely - and I have not really had to look for work for many years. In fact I don't think I have ever had to look for work. I am fortunate in being a good "networker" and jobs have come to me. For the past 20 years I had been recommended from one contract to another. This was different situation! I had fairly recently returned to Australia and had not had time to build up contacts - I had no money and my family were not here.
There is nothing like the fear of poverty to focus you!!!!
The truth is - I was in a silent panic. - I had an expensive apartment and no one to turn to when the rent came due. Job hunting was now the total focus of my life in my waking hours and unfortunately also those hours that were meant to be my sleeping hours.
"Sign on" my colleagues said. To those not familiar with the Australian system - "signing on" means applying for unemployment support from the government. With no other choices appearing on the horizon I took their advice and I did what every unemployed person does in this country - I visited Centrelink.
Despite the many very good people working for Centrelink (and I met a few) this visit in itself will send your self esteem plummeting down through the all the previously hidden levels of the pain and fear imaginable. With good intent (and also a requirement to receive any financial support) I was instructed to attend a JOB services provider.
As a newcomer to this whole situation I admit I was a bit excited about the fact that I was going to receive some moral support and jobseeking assistance. I had been battling with all this on my own. What a great country we live in I thought to myself! I was so naive. For those of you have been through this process you will understand as soon as I say Job Services Provider.
I would like to say right now to anyone who believes they are going to get assistance to find a job or any support in sustaining your sanity through these tortuous waters, suspend expectations! I would like to most compassionately, and as gently as possible, suggest that you abandon any expectations of support and assistance and spare yourself disappointment. These places are about as counterproductive as you could possibly imagine. They are there to monitor you. Let me describe my first visit.
I met with the Manager/Assessor who tells me that I must sign an agreement to attend their office twice a week and I must spend 2 hours there. "I can do that" I think to myself. In fact it seems like a good idea to me for after all I can use their phone and their printers and save myself some money. I am then shown the "job search" room which is a grand name for a seedy looking room divided in two with about 7 old computers around the edge and some plastic outdoor chairs. All computers are connected to one printer. There are also 3 telephones - smack bang in the middle of the computer room. Privacy is not regarded as important.
"Okay this is grubby and not ideal but I can deal with that" I again think to myself. Although the thought of having to "sell" myself on the phone to some managing director of a company or the dean of a faculty in front of 10 people (all waiting for the phone and closely listening) was not attractive. But hey, I would cross that bridge when I came to it.
I wake up early the following morning and get myself over to the job search office to find out that of the 7 computers there, 3 are not working and there are already people waiting for the operational ones to be available. I also notice a sign saying that if you have not been employed for very long you must not use the computers in the morning as they are for the people who are longer term unemployed. Now this definitely does not make sense to me. The first rule of job huntiong is that you are most likely to get a job when you are either employed or recently unemployed! It crosses my mind that they are creating a new group of long term unemployed by denying them access to the computers?
Ok, I think to myself. Chill out girl! I go off for a walk for an hour and come back at the time allocated for those who have been unemployed for less than 6 months. When I sit down the first thing I notice is that - one of these computers is being openly used by a woman who is writing her novel, another one is being used by a woman who is marking papers for some language exam (she obviously had a job!) and printing them out. So I sit there waiting for them to do their "work" or for someone responsible to come and notice that they were not job hunting. No one comes. No one ever comes. The only time I have ever seen anyone come into the job hunting room from the "funded" organisation was to conduct an intensely private and humiliating conversation in front of the group sitting there. I watched the "focus" of this conversation cringe so much I actually got up and left the room to try and alleviate even slightly the embarassment he must have been feeling.
I finally do get access to one of the computers. It is lunchtime by now and the others have left to get something to eat. I spend the first hour preparing a job application letter (for the younger people who work at these places I should highlight that when you get a bit more mature you accumulate a plethora of skills and experience - the consolation prize is that if age is against you, time has helped you accumulate a fair bit of knowledge. Hence the application takes longer and more things have to be edited out)
After writing a carefully crafted (albeit time consuming) letter with some satisfaction I reach the point of attaching this masterpiece to my email . The only other thing left to do is upload my CV. It is after a few failed attempts at uploading that I am told by the person on the next computer "oh you cant attach anything on a few of these computers- that one is the worst" .Hence I cannot upload my application letter nor my CV. I have wasted 3 hours of precious time. At this point I am starting to feel a little harrassed and frustrated - the failings of this organisation are beginning to show themselves in ways that are causing me problems and preventing me finding a job. How do these people (who I believe get $1000 per person from the federal government) expect you to apply for a job when you cant even upload your CV or write a letter to the potential employer?
I breathe. In time of stress just breathe. I try to breathe deeply and I change computers - I begin the whole process again trying to recall the content of the letter I had previously written which has now been lost to cyber space. The same thing happens - failure to upload!
To add insult to injury, 5 hours later I leave the building after some female employee comes into the room sand with no warning says "computer off right now, I am locking up and you are leaving".
No application sent, another day unemployed and my rent "due date" looming ahead!
The next day - after a night of little sleep the panic escalates and I am at the job search room before anyone else. I think I will pretend to be long term unemployed and use the computer first. I don't think I need to tell you reader that I am one of life's optimists. I really believe that today will be much better and that yesterday was just a little glitch.
I arrive to find another computer out of action (that makes 3 now and to spare me mentioning them again I will tell you now that these remain out of action for the next two weeks and those computers that are unable to upload cv's or documents continue to do their worst without any interference from an IT support person to this day).
I log on to the most hidden computer only to find myself sitting beside a man who appears quite distressed. He tells me he has been told to sit down at the computer and find a job by his job search consultant and he has never used a computer. Remember this man, who is not only feeling a failure because he has lost his job now feels useless because he has never used a computer. Not one person in this funded organisation has taken the time to either ask him about that or to show him how to. After watching him struggle for half an hour I succumb and that morning is taken up helping not just him but another 3 unemployed people to use a computer to find work! My allocated time on the computer has gone and another day - no job application - no phone calls made and a day closer to rent due date!
I am contracted to attend this place two days a week. If I don't attend I can't get my unemployment benefit - the only money I have coming in at the moment. So I must continue to attend - on most days (because it is the season) I am sitting next to people with the flu or coughing with chesty coughs, somedays there are those who are distressed and crying and on the worst days I am forced to hear people's personal and embarrassing needs discussed in front of a whole room. That I find very difficult. I find people not being treated with respect as one of the worst misdemeanours. I find it personally painful to observe that. One day there was a very distinguished looking older man asking if there was any way he could get some money for shoes (for an interview). There was no private conversation. He was forced to suffer the humiliation in front of a room full of people. There is no respect here. Is that the penalty for not having a job? When you lose your job do you lose the right to be treated with respect? The old myth of the "dole bludger" lives one I suspect. That is lesson number one.
The situation improves once you begin to realise that you attend this place because you have to - you have no expectations and you do your actual job hunting at home. From my persepctive this process is a huge waste of government funding and I can think of a hundred ways it could work better. It is counterproductive to the process of finding work.
But all is not doom and gloom -
Next posting I will introduce you to some processes that do work and some places that actually do help you...there are places in Sydney who treat you with respect and take the time to help and surprise surprise they are not the ones the government pays for! (or rather YOU pay for!!)
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