A contribution from yesterday:-
I was one if the 90% of staff put on work improvement by the PDU Head of South and Central Birmingham. I went off sick for 4 months with stress and when I returned to work I had Stress Assessment meetings - lip service to tick a box exercise to show management ‘care’ about their staff. However the cases kept coming, the AQA assessments of Oasys kept filling my inbox with reams of amendments to complete, meetings were being called on an almost daily basis to inform us which stick they would be beating us with on that particular day and the cherry on the cake, you’re on work improvement as an incentive to carry on working 50+ hours a week just to keep up with paperwork.
I was berated for seeing service users face to face and told a phone call was sufficient and it was these appointments were what were eating into my time and my ability to complete the mountains of paperwork. Thankfully I’ve left the service after 15 years and, for my mental health, it has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Hearing that the same PDU head has said that the reason for those leaving the service was due to them being ‘professionally immature’ has only reinforced that I have made the right decision.
Anon
It’s everywhere. The demands, the emails. I’ve stopped reading them. And until this current set of bully PDU heads and their weasel deputies move on there won’t be much progress.
ReplyDeleteClearly gaslighting by the immature PDU Head. I wonder if putting professionals on work improvement is a manipulative way to keep staff because stating you are on performance would put you off applying for other jobs. The PDU head has poor management skills and emotional immaturity and should be demoted at the very least and given a taste of his or her own medicine.
ReplyDeleteFrom Twitter:-
Delete"You don’t need emotional maturity to operate a spreadsheet or to agree with your head of service. Or say yes."
From Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"I've spoken to a number of senior managers within the probation service and nearly every encounter has left me wondering how such blatant incompetence could have lasted for decades in the organisation much less promoted to positions far beyond their skills."
There are a significant number of experienced POs who have over the years declined to apply for SPO posts even when “encouraged” by senior managers. I think we are people of integrity who refuse to sell our souls for a pay grade. Many have now left or are about to.
ReplyDeletePO
Or decline to do so due to the very small pay increase this would achieve
DeleteFrom Twitter:-
Delete"Maybe that’s exactly why people with integrity should apply for the SPO role! Change starts at the bottom and works its way up. But also if good officers get the job it stops bad SPOs having the loudest voice!"
Let's please not label all SPOs as not caring about staff and the pressures that are put on them. I am aware of numerous SPOs who stand up and challenge what is expected from thier staff. Unfortunately, thier concerns are not heard and the machine with no soul continues to dictate and demand unworkable caseloads. The service does not consider well being of staff, including SPOs. This is not risk reduction and protecting the public but direction from heads of service who have lost touch with what it means to manage a case. Seems like Birmingham is a prime example where the PDU is aspiring to create an environment of what can be only described as 'modern day slavery', probably being used as a stepping stone to make a name for himself. How long do we continue to allow this sort of behaviour to be acceptable !!?
DeletePrisons essentially only work on the good will of the prisoners as the prison staff are completely outnumbered. Similarly PDUs are only getting away with behaviour such as this due to the fact staff don’t unite as one and stand together. The unions are useless and PDUs get away with singling out individuals and making it a ‘you’ problem rather than staff standing together and calling out the toxic work environments for exactly what they are.
DeleteAbsolutely- the narrative that if you are a manager you are bad helps no one and is certainly not true. Good and bad staff at all grades. However I know a lot of SPO colleagues are standing up for their colleagues on the front line! Why wouldn’t they? If their colleagues are struggling chances are they are too! There are the yes people but in my experience they are few and far between. We all need to stick together and give the same message then PDU heads can ignore they wish but as we can see - negative action achieves nothing other than to make the situation worse- if it can be!
Delete“I know a lot of SPO colleagues are standing up for their colleagues on the front line”
DeleteLol. No they’re not.
“ l am aware of numerous SPOs who stand up and challenge what is expected from their staff.”
Delete… the same SPOs that allocate you to 200% WMT and issue you a absence warning and put you on a performance improvement plan after you collapse and go off sick due to the stress.
I declined many invitations to apply for SPO. I couldn't square it with my conscience. It wasn't about the money it was the certain knowledge I'd be sucked into a regime that had no expectation on its managers to champion the frontline or the values I cherish. Just handed in my notice to quit. Survivors guilt will kick in, but hey, survived.
Delete@ 20.03pm I’m an SPO and I always defend my team. I find the OM v SPO divide to be so unhelpful, and unfair. Huge workloads impact us all and I’m tirelessly trying to keep my team (and myself) afloat. We all need to unite to tackle the wider HMPPS issues, NOT divide. The comment about WMT- there is
Deleteoften nobody else to allocate to (unless you can magic some POs up) and cases have to be give an OM, which is difficult to do when people are at breaking point. I’ve been doing 50 + hours weeks for a prolonged period, to help manage the continued increased demand for PSRs. I will always chip in to see cases and do tasks. Just because you can’t see the work, doesn’t mean SPOs aren’t under huge stress too. The amount of unrealistic and unreasonable task put on middle managers is only increasing. My well-being is dwindling and efforts to keep staff well mostly go unmarked.
As for attendance warnings, we have to discuss all our decisions with an HR BP and often our reviews can be disregarded, unless we use our professional discretion/have a very good argument to not issue warnings. It’s a bit like the tickbox a comment for OM judgement for risk assessments and enforcement, our skills as managers are being limited by Civil Service HR drivel. Over and out, from an exhausted SPO.
If half of what is being said is true then the responsibility goes much higher to the regional directors. Accountability should go all the way to the top- ministers including- rather than picking off individuals and PDUs. The issues are long standing - pre TR even- lack of recruitment, no idea about staff retention and the sense that ministers don’t see the value in probation- as evidenced by TR. where are the TUs going to take this? The workload campaign has not taken off where I work. No visibility anymore now all negotiations are national- even our reps are hot footing it out of the service it seems and who can blame them.
ReplyDelete“then the responsibility goes much higher to the regional directors”
DeleteBut the buck stops with regional directors who are the ones making decisions for their regions and requiring staff to do the impossible.
I have every sympathy for the colleague who outlined their plight in todays blog post and fully support their decision to leave. I wish them well for the future.
ReplyDeleteEverybody, at every level in the organisation knows the dire state of probation and the stresses and strains being endured by staff. It has gone in for years, and not only has there been no respite, things have got worse.
Todays headline says,’this can’t go on,’ and yet it does!
The options available to staff would appear to be, 1) get on with it, grin and bear it and wait for the non existent cavalry to come over the hill. 2) go sick. If it impacts on colleagues and they become ill, adopt the management strategy of, ‘….not my problem.’ 3) use legislation and employment tribunals to force change.4) challenge management openly and be prepared to back it up by working to contractual hours and resorting to law. Drag them through tribunals and make them defend their actions. 5) put pressure on the unions to do what they are paid for, and defence terms and conditions or ballot for strike action.
6) leave. Not easy when you have commitments but what price your health.
What ‘…can’t go on,’ is simply moaning and whinging whilst carrying on working unlimited free hours to keep feeding an insatiable machine.
Either collectively or individually, people within the organisation have to make it stop.
Look after yourself physically and emotionally because it doesn’t look like anybody will do it for you.
I'm having to delete lots of shite contributions today - a reminder that I refuse to publish stuff that is rude, ill-considered, profane, boring, repetitive, potentially libellous, sexist, racist etc etc. It makes more space for the good stuff.
ReplyDeleteJB all this good stuff is not actually telling it like we all know it is bad and why is being hidden.
DeleteOk there was way too much nepotism in some county appointments. CRC made it far worse those staff in high grades do not challenge as they were not helped up to be critical observers. The cronyism continues because many of those who aided the split now talk up one hmpps. They would say anything so bad is good to them that's why they hold the key jobs. So post legacy we stay in decline as the leadership clutch to any direction. The moj direct any political expedience and the management pr machine kicks in. The union is not working. We no longer know the Napo membership numbers in truth. I mean real working members. We don't really have a true contingent of national staffing either. So how do we know what the services cost. We lost offices secretarial support and became siloed individual cases workers. We doubled our case capacity under the pretence of computers saves time. Central records and case tiered in clusters model. When it goes wrong they blame.
It is this process that has set in and change is not likely as the cycle of career is so tight only same minded need apply. The culture that we have is irreconcilable to what we had and the union reflects this change by it compliance and agreement of the structure . Often mirrored within the union itself.
Meanwhile we get this "I'm alright Jack' from A Cossins on Twitter, complete with a nice glass of red of course:-
Delete"We have some amazing cheeses in #Devon & my weekend cheese treat today is the wonderful
@SharphamCheese Brie #ShopLocal …"
She is exactly what no one needs on any day. Amazingly ignorant of here reputation . Known as a problem solver because she duff's staff up. That's senior management view. All said her posts are incredibly irritating as she delves into the good life. On her sort of pay structure for her sort of limited capacities and lack of self awareness she has an easy working time. If doing X all day and smoking is work She was a keen proponent of tr liked the rate card nonsense and is unable to tell the truth . Staff respect levels are very low but no one would say so as fear is higher. She tries to play the staff off I'm on your side it's the other management Just her sort of leadership poor.
DeleteSurely there is a flaw in the assessment of poor performance? If managers are assessing on a system of KPIs met or not met ie simply on the metrics that should be counterbalanced by the actual allocated workload of the individual. Can I suggest a way forward for those colleagues in West Midland who are affected? If as I have read some of those staff were on 160% on WMT, they should take the evidence from their performance improvement plan and argue that the actual evidence comes from that over-allocated portion of their work so in effect they have fully met what they reasonably could ie the proportion of their work that is required in the contract be it one FTE or whatever. So, targets missed have come from the workload they really should not have been allocated. Yes requires some working out on their part but surely an entirely reasonable defence?
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is Bham is operating in ‘amber’ which means many cases only been seen on a remote basis etc. so upper management will argue that a WMT score of 160 is not reflective of the actual work you are doing , so you have no argument. Conveniently, the WMT is useless when PDUs are operating in Red or amber which is how they get away with it. Bham PDU head is clear -“there is no such thing as no capacity”.
DeleteSorry 17:09 but if metrics are used in the performance plan at all, management can not argue when to use and when to discount metrics including the baseline ie WMT. So let them provide the true reflection WMT or whatever you say they would say, and justify that figure as it is against the principles of natural justice to say something is different just because they say so and poor performance is an agreed process. If metrics are used it is their job to say precisely what they are. They cannot and should not have it both ways. Poor performance is when the employee fails to fulfil the expectations of their job and that has to be evidenced in the performance plan under the policy.
ReplyDeleteForget it your pissing in the wind I have returned to probation after 15 years after retiring from yos , let me give perspective , no one cares , no one as any empathy . Staff are thick , it’s the community police on less a shut show
ReplyDelete“It’s only when the lights go out that they will realise how brightly you shone.”
ReplyDeleteWhen there’s only PQUIPS and newly qualified staff left they might realise just how good their staff were. But I won’t hold my breath.
The failure is in the way staff are treated and nothing changes when people don’t unite and stand together. Unfortunately, there are so many being punished for not being superhuman, or for trying to speak out that staff will keep leaving and the service will keep failing.
This has happened in my PDU. All that is left is PQUIPS, newly qualified, staff on sick leave due to stress, and a few experienced staff who have given in their notice and are on their way out. It’s all a shambles.
DeleteYes and many are planning to remain sick as long as possible then resign
DeleteACAS offers advice and guidance to employees as well as employers. I think it’s time for staff in West Midlands to approach them for guidance on this issue. It just seems very very wrong and I think one or two other PDU head traumatised staff, perhaps the one in the NE which seems to get raised here, ‘ex military Churchill-comes-to-probation man? If unions are collusive in this bypass them. But this should not go on it really is time to defend the staff. We are all terrified about being over capacity, having more allocated with constant process change and no time to assimilate, and then having the SFO happen, we do not want more victims.
ReplyDeleteAcas not able to do anything they are there for disputes or advice. They sell services to employers today and don't work for individuals.
DeleteThey will offer advice and guidance, checked recently
DeleteVery good luck with that then .
DeleteEmbed 360 appraisals in the supervision process
ReplyDeleteI also declined offers to act up as a SPO but I declined and found a job outside of the service. My advise to anyone fed up is to look for work outside the service. Our skills are valued. I did not believe it at first but found out when I looked outside. It’s easy to get caught up in the cycle but there is hope out there.
ReplyDeleteRotten to the very core
ReplyDeleteIndeed . I just ran into an 9ld.colleague while.shopping today. Wonderful to see smiles cheers and ex pats of the awful probation. It has become so toxic in anyone's opinion. It makes you think of the wasted time there because of the ego driven managers. Appalling directions no account for.treting staff well. The gladiatorial approach to getting things done.is a reflection of the leadership which is lacking. The post on returning from yos above nails it for me the staff are not able although I doubt ex staff will ever be recalled as better.
DeleteThe greatest trick management pulled was making you believe there was nothing you could do to stop it…sorry couldn’t resist the allusion. But it has some truth to it judging by so many of the responses. Though this is actually not the case. I have written previously about what sort of actions can be taken to disrupt the work of your senior leaders. 11:07 has also highlighted a range of tactics. First, you challenge your SPO regarding your contracted hours. Share your diary and ask what work needs to be prioritised. Keep your own written record. Do this every time you are allocated work. Second, make sure the work is prioritised by your SPO in a way that keeps to these hours. You are at liberty to refuse to work beyond the hours you are contracted for. Refuse TOIL as you probably won’t get chance to take it. Third, request everything in writing, do not accept a conversation. This is important as it takes time and managers know it could be brought up later in a dispute or grievance procedures. Fourth, do not pick up work from absent colleagues without taking steps one to three. Take your breaks, take your lunch away from your desk. Do not feel guilt if you choose to go off sick. If your colleagues follow steps one to three then it would just make it harder to allocate your work. Eventually things will start to fall apart (even more if that possible) as unallocated work builds up. Basically you will be removing your good will and only working the hours that you get paid.
ReplyDeleteVery wise words and all tangible.
DeleteThe second greatest trick management pulled is making you believe SPOs and senior managers are on your side. SPOs are a mixed bag. Experienced, inexperienced, competent, incompetent, protective, complicit, collusive, bullies, sexist, racist, ageist keyboard warriors. New SPOs are naive. Old SPOs are biased. The few good ones eventually conform or are crushed. The actions of SPOs reflect PDU senior managers they serve. Good senior managers mean good SPOs. There are few good senior managers so we have mostly bad SPOs. They say they’re standing up to senior managers but like tightening the thumbscrews and screwing yiu for non compliance. Pity and empathy are techniques. They must allocate the work. Sorry no sorry. The show must go on.
DeleteI did a similar thing and would refuse work based on my allocated hours and WMT. I was even threatened with disciplinary action but it was an empty threat and I stood to my guns. If I am honest the reason I was so brazen was because I had made up my mind I would leave and find another job and did not care about the consequences of disciplinary action - I was ready for a fight. I think what holds people back from refusing work is that they are worried they lose their job and/or are too tired to fight back. But if you want change you have to fight back unfortunately. It is not going to get better. Would love to hear other people’s thoughts on why they have not fought back.
DeleteIs it any wonder why staff pick scabs off each other given how many cases many of us have? The temptation to dump cases on others doing duty days; gaslight about why a service user turned up on the wrong day- and can you see him please? Or 'seeing' high risk cases on the phone. If you're doing duty days plus your own cases, plus the staff who are sick, taking the Michael, going off for 'unforeseen circumstances', not competent, organisationally illiterate about their own practice, you've probably seen an extra 200 cases in a year, if not more. None of this is sustainable. It would help if there were a spread of PQIPs and NQOs in terms of age and life experience- but they all seem to be in their mid 20s and very adept at being cocky at bigging up their own practice and skilfully evading work. Not all the issue of Gen Z, but it seems to be an evidential pattern. It probably speaks to potential staff that bit older realising how much stress doing this job would be. Youth has resilience; age brings cynicism and realising what you don't want to do. But we have to work cohesively or their will be more scabs pulled off to keep survival mode alive and well whilst the more conscientious are forever prayed upon for their good will, whilst they realise how exhausted they're feeling and whether they want to stick it out. What price your health? Priceless. The People Survey only has teeth if it leads to tangible organisational change. Most of the time, it's as toothless a tick box as Post Sentence Supervision. Collective tin ear to appeal to have our 'voice heard' is just one of a number of concerns of those at the top table not being able to read the many rooms of discontent and quiet despair.
ReplyDeleteThose older staff you speak of were in their 20s once too.
DeleteYouth doesn’t always have resilience or mean lack of life experiences; age doesn’t always bring cynicism and doubt.
People Survey … hahahaha
So what their like the dead hand zombie to deliver whatever told to them. They have no sense of direction. No compass' no redirection to authority tin what they had training for Po has become a redundant term and shortly the pay levels will be attacked more for less.
DeleteIt’s professionally immature for a PDU head to believe that staff will stay in an abusive working environment. It’s also incredibly narcissistic and unprofessional.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. I am facing the same problem. Only I'm fighting back - and hard. Being fearful is the first thing to go and illogical because if you fear losing your job, you will only end up leaving anyway or ruining your health. So go for broke or just leave on your own terms. Don't suffer it out.
DeleteJust read this on the HMPPS site: When people come to work for us we want them to feel safe and that they belong, are treated with empathy and respect, and have the support of their colleagues and managers. In joining us, you join an organisation that’s committed to the values of humanity, openness, together and purpose.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t stop laughing and immediately thought of all the posts so have seen on this site. It also doesn’t really make sense…together in what context. Together on the road to hell, together down to the Doctors, together talking rubbish and drinking wine on twitter (X), together down the drain….
That is a stark pointer isn't it. The testimony is nothing like the pr. The lies it is scandalous. I wonder if these leaders as they claim appreciate how unpopular their style direction and inability to create a safe environment reflects so badly. Do they care.
DeleteI am a practitioner in Central & South Birmingham PDU. I have no idea where this 90% of staff subject to performance improvement figure came from but it is categorically not true. In the context of high workloads we have been asked by the ACO and my SPO to focus on the basics: make sure each case has a risk assessment, make sure cases are seen in accordance with amber PPF and enforce failures to attend. For me and I believe most of my team, I don’t have a problem with this and I find it surprising that a minority seem to object. You only have to look back at the inspection reports for Staffordshire & West Midlands CRC and see that our reports highlighted significant deficits in virtually all areas of practice. Superficially transferring staff to a unified service was never going to resolve this. There is not going to be quick fix to the dire mess the service is in, but surely a focus on the basics is the way to go?
ReplyDeleteThank you for clearing this issue up. It was a disturbing read. What is and should be worrying is so many readers could accept the capability claim to be true.
Delete“we have been asked by the ACO and my SPO”
DeleteYou lost me right there !!
I am also a practitioner and feel this comment undermines the experience of the original post. What you say is correct and is the basis of trying to manage a case without the fear of something going wrong. But my experience is that myself and my colleagues are working until the late evening most days and weekends in order to manage the caseload and the expectations of what is required. I have no personal life and work impacts on my relationships at home. SPOs have team failures thrown at them and no doubt have the threat of performance improvement also. Let's remember inspections quite clearly highlight unmanageable caseloads, not enough time to carry out tasks, or spend with clients and the experience of staff is rarely positive. The system may be broken but let's admit that rather then bury our heads in the sand, and make it a staff problem. The point here is the tactic of a head of service in order to achieve the impossible with staff as his casualties.
Delete17:51 spot on
ReplyDeleteThe now notorious HoA, he of Churchillian speeches, he who wants to referred to as Doctor, has apparently created a coalition of partner agency discontented. He has managed to achieve quite an outstanding reputation for arrogance within and outside of HMPPS, how he will be dealt with is something worth following. Thankfully I was alerted to much of this as I was looking to transfer to the NE to be closer to my partners parents, we are now exploring options for bringing them down to the SW. I am not for one minute suggesting that we are not facing our own challenges down here but I think more compassion prevails, maybe a senior management group with old school values, maybe it’s just in the water. Either way, based on everything I have read, or heard, I wouldn’t relocate to the NE for love or money - this relates only to probation as my experience of the geography and people of Northumberland is wonderful and our frequent visits up here,although tiring ,we’re always wonderful.
ReplyDeleteAlright pardon the pun doctor who. This guy must be exposed and management investigate this reputation is damaging and prevents staff inclusion cooperation.
DeleteTwo minutes on the internet and I found this stirring quote from Winston Churchill, which may form part 2 of his presentation next time around.. “I do not admit ... for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.” Perhaps the wee Dr sees himself as part of a new master race of Senior Leaders…certain in their vision and steadfast in their approach. Which sadly doesn’t really fit with the low grade quality most appear comfortable with.
DeleteI cannot comment if 90 per cent of POs are on work improvement in central south Birmingham but I can confirm I have heard from direct sources within the PDU that work improvement is a tactic overly used despite huge case loads on officers with years of service. I am aware of large amounts of sickness and the PDU head having a bad reputation. I left the area and hear from colleagues about the issues of work improvement so regardless of the actual figure there is merit in this concern.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not true that 90% of that PDu are subject to performance measures , however the numbers are going up with pressures to put more people on… caseloads are ever increasing with practitioners feeling pressure to put in more and more unpaid hours just to keep their heads above water. . The simple fact is we have too much work with nowhere near enough staff. You can fudge the figures as much as you like but years of recruitment freezes, pay freezes and lack of investment in proper training etc are all coming home to roost.
Delete10:08 couldn’t agree more regarding staffing but we also have to be realistic. Efforts to recruit are not able to sustain current staffing numbers. The quality of new recruits vary tremendously. This is a tough job in any context and there is no point taking on PQip who cannot cope with the reality of the role which seems to be the current 'bum on seats' strategy. The service doesnt just need new blood, it needs a recruitment strategy that attracts individuals with the right qualities and life experience, with a salary which appropriately rewards staff for the tough job it is, and encourages staff retention but I wont hold my breath.
Delete11:23,I am told by people still in the job that part of the problem with new staff is that they are being recruited to undertake a social work type job and trained accordingly.
ReplyDeleteOnce in the field, they realise that they are data inputters and the pace is relentless.
It’s not what they signed up for so they leave.
Does the Trades Descriptions Act apply to recruitment adverts?
Not a chance you are not a customer buying a car. Taking their contract is a choice. You can exit by notice. The service we knew has gone .
DeleteFrom Twitter:-
Delete"Quality Development Officers read it. More and more staff are being pulled by management due to the secret auditing where benchmarks are high. As busy as we are they'll not let quality dip."
"Not just data inputters but creators of said data. ISP after ISP, review after review eating my time up and having an SPO who thought they were an HMIP inspector and wanted copious amounts in sections just finished me off. Time is now my own & I'm happy elsewhere."
Oh don’t tell me about QDOs. Biggest waste right there. Couldn’t do the job but now auditing those that can.
DeleteCan we put all Heads of Clusters and upwards on an improvement notice.?
ReplyDelete21.23 believe me new recruits do not see it as a social work job on the contrary they see it as a policing public protection job trust me I talk to them
ReplyDeleteIt is advertised as "making a difference", however that's not actually what the role entails, so yes they are mi's-selling and when people realise, they ship out..
DeleteIf all staff just did their hours the service would collapse. It is run by good will and the leadership is taking advantage.
ReplyDeleteThere needs to be a ‘stick to your hours’ revolution. It’s the only way the leadership and government will listen. #sticktoyourhours
Absolutely spot on. It’s the working for nothing that’s keeping this shambles going. Stick to your hours, take your breaks, get your manager to prioritise your diary when you have insufficient time to compete work, get it in writing (not a disappearing what’s app message) and then go home. Contracted hours only.#sticktoyourhours
DeleteI know good hearted colleagues who will work for free in the weekend so they could catch up but are shocked when they are given more cases to manage. I’ve advised them to stop and stick to their hours so they can show a true reflection of what they can accomplish within their contracted hours. #sticktoyourhours
DeleteI think if you want to understand the underlying problems facing the probation service it’s worth keeping an eye on the covid enquiry. They are now starting to unpick the shambles surrounding the Governments response. It’s beginning to catalogue the totally incompetent actions of a Government low on talent but high on self interest. It’s hard to imagine just how utterly irresponsible this tawdry Government has been. Casting the net wider they have hollowed out Local Government and pretty much destroyed social supports across this country. In the mean time lining the pockets of profiteers. Probation is just a part of this malaise. Rushed change, no strategy just more for less with the money flowing into the hands of the 1%. How have we allowed this to happen and why aren’t we burning parliament down? The social contract is now broken and… well we are British so we do fuck all.
ReplyDeleteNapo signed the contracts. They were supposed to look out for the members we still have Ian Lawrence there's the answer and the problem.
DeleteThere's a PDU head in the North West who's driven away a lot of her staff, they've left in droves and now the PDU is on its knees.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at the sickness issues and found this reference of the sscl health provider Optima. Pretty awful read and company we fund .
DeleteAbsolutely hideous job, started working and was never given any training, when I didn’t know how to do something, I would ask managers and then they would write me up a meeting with them saying that I should just know. Only reason I know anything about my job is because I’ve figured it out for myself! Management are awful, over work you for minimum wage. Management very unprofessional, saying things out of pocket and making you feel uncomfortable. Intimidation they love to use on you here, they will bully you!
Also say goodbye to annual leave because they will take it away when it’s already been approved last minute because they need you in! Awful working environment, offices grim and don’t think have been cleaned since 1973. Often no hand soap or loo roll, and say goodbye to tea and coffee! No staffroom. Incredibly understaffed no wonder! So will work you like a dog with no consideration having you do a thousand things at once! Be prepared to be micromanaged and treated like a child, constantly analysing everything you do and why you did it! Expect you to answer 50 emails a day whilst running a clinic, booking appointments, answering the phone that will never stop , running to grab bloods and vacs, having employees come in all day and a hundred other things! Also be prepared to be a personal secretary for the nurses and a IT technician.
Will also expect you to do all of this whilst management do nothing apart from bagger you on why you haven’t started the million other things they need you do!
Also, when you are looking for another job to leave optima HR will make a direct call to your manager to tell them you are actively looking to leave, and yes this actually happened!
No sick days here! They will give you a formal meeting and warning for having a chest infection for 2 days off and expect doctors notes!
Ladies and gentleman welcome to the modern day work house!
If you like the sound of all this then apply they would love the opportunity to run you into the ground and spit you out!
Date of experience: 05 October 2023
This reads like a day at the office and is awful. Having listened intently to Dominic Cummings evidence today this inquiry that only came about from families of the bereaved . The language the immoral standing of Johnson this attrocity of neglect to the people of this country and the lies and web of deceit. Johnson should be facing criminal charges at the end of this . What a country we are . No wonder probation is stripped to the bone . Johnson thought the old should just suffer and die than risk a fiver. Pure monster. Well done brexit mentality.
DeleteOmg Jonny mercer shows he knows nothing by irritating inmates and every viewer in this TV trash crash. With Tories as they are mercer should be jailed anyway for his offences against the state. The Tory party.
ReplyDeleteI should have said the trash is because it was set up so all safe for the cuddly thespians and again it allowed for mercer to try and be clever knowing it's an act. Just pure TV crap.
ReplyDelete