Join in on our 'Guess the Rep' Competition! >>

DWP Work coach.

I’ve read a lot of negative feedback for this role. I’m in my 60s and beginning to think I may have made a mistake accepting this role !! Only one way to find out I suppose 🤞

Reply 1

AquaBlue85

People will always post the negatives over the positives! But i believe its up to you and what you choose to do with the time that you have… meaning…

You can go to work and let the micromanaging and lack of resources and all the other complaints slowly pick at you
or…
You can go to work knowing you’re only one person and can only do so much in a day with what you have so don’t let it stress you!

Reply 2

Compyjo

In my office, there were lots of WCs that had worked there many years in the role and who didn't plan to change. A couple got promotions to HEO and stayed on on new roles in the same place.

The problem was (perhaps specific to my office, who knows) is that they simply could not retain any new staff who bailed out to other CS roles or left completely.

It had a very high attrition rate for newbies with perhaps 2 out of 12 staying over the last year or so. This probably led to knock on impacts of high caseloads due to staff shortage which then impacted staff morale.

Different Job Centres will have different demographics with their claimants, different office culture, different levels of management competence.

Mine was in a deprived area and my caseload was composed mainly of people with very complex needs/barriers to work and many came from cultures and backgrounds of endemic worklessness.

The role was not for me and I would generally counsel anyone interested in working for the DWP to work instead in other roles or in a service centre rather than a face to face customer service role.

However, all my colleagues were friendly, approachable and always helpful.

The line management seemed under the cosh of senior management when it came to the poxy terms and conditions, target setting, constant changes etc but were keen to develop and upskill the staff.

Pop back in 3 or 6 months time and tell us how you find it. There are posts on hete from WCs who enjoy and are proud of their work.

Reply 3

Dwp62

Original post by Compyjo

In my office, there were lots of WCs that had worked there many years in the role and who didn't plan to change. A couple got promotions to HEO and stayed on on new roles in the same place.
The problem was (perhaps specific to my office, who knows) is that they simply could not retain any new staff who bailed out to other CS roles or left completely.
It had a very high attrition rate for newbies with perhaps 2 out of 12 staying over the last year or so. This probably led to knock on impacts of high caseloads due to staff shortage which then impacted staff morale.
Different Job Centres will have different demographics with their claimants, different office culture, different levels of management competence.
Mine was in a deprived area and my caseload was composed mainly of people with very complex needs/barriers to work and many came from cultures and backgrounds of endemic worklessness.
The role was not for me and I would generally counsel anyone interested in working for the DWP to work instead in other roles or in a service centre rather than a face to face customer service role.
However, all my colleagues were friendly, approachable and always helpful.
The line management seemed under the cosh of senior management when it came to the poxy terms and conditions, target setting, constant changes etc but were keen to develop and upskill the staff.
Pop back in 3 or 6 months time and tell us how you find it. There are posts on hete from WCs who enjoy and are proud of their work.

Thanks for your info. I hope the office has a supportive and pleasant atmosphere because you need that even more in these type of jobs. I’ll probably get a good idea as soon as I walk through the door 😅

Reply 4

Compyjo

Immediate colleagues (90%) were always a positive asset. I was taken under their wing and they always assisted me. Im hoping that's universal.

My colleague who works as a Decision Maker in a Service Centre in Disability Benefits always loves her role.

In contrast to me, no direct contact with claimants, long term mentoring (partnered snd/or experienced Floor Walkers present), varied shift patterns and pro part time working and pro flexi time build up.

No daft 5pm targets - part time workers don't have to start mid morning to make up spreadsheet numbers. She didn't have to arm wrestle her probationary period. She feels next grade is achievable and her line manager is on top of her health issues and gives reasonabke adjustments.

Reply 5

Dwp62

Original post by Compyjo

Immediate colleagues (90%) were always a positive asset. I was taken under their wing and they always assisted me. Im hoping that's universal.
My colleague who works as a Decision Maker in a Service Centre in Disability Benefits always loves her role.
In contrast to me, no direct contact with claimants, long term mentoring (partnered snd/or experienced Floor Walkers present), varied shift patterns and pro part time working and pro flexi time build up.
No daft 5pm targets - part time workers don't have to start mid morning to make up spreadsheet numbers. She didn't have to arm wrestle her probationary period. She feels next grade is achievable and her line manager is on top of her health issues and gives reasonabke adjustments.

Unfortunately the role I’ve been offered isn’t a decision maker🤦🏻*♂️My only hope is all the negative reviews for the Work coach have been grossly exaggerated ! Otherwise I’m not going to last very long.

Reply 6

Compyjo

As per the other poster on this thread, you will generally only see negative reviews about the role on the Internet.

As per our joint advice, it's about pacing yourself in the role and avoiding burn out from trying to do too much in a role that involves dealing with people in a system that they many despise due to its conditionality.

It is a good springboard into other positions. By the way, Social Security Scotland pay better (about 3k more), have more holidays and from Oct this year will reduce hours to 35 per week.

For me, it wasn't right - I found it unnecessarily intense because of the jam packed diary that generally gave brief timeslots to very needy people who were mainly nowhere near ready for work.

Plus any kind of extra assistance to help them - referral to an organisation to help them/placement/job fair/bus or train ticket/funding for work clothes - was supposed to be able to be completed by the WC in 15 min admin time or when customers didn't turn up for their appointments. I found the admin burdensome.

On reflection, you have a customer service role in a weak system.

The role is essentially trying to deal with people, many of whom did not thrive in education, in their health, who come from backgrounds where employment, training, education, skills are not valued or a priority for them.

You are expected to inspire and encourage your customers towards employment (or take up more hours with an employer if they work few hours) but there is no obligation for them to engage with employability organisations that we can refer them to.

I would describe the role as being at the epicentre to deal with the fallout from weaknesses in the health, education, childcare, and immigration systems. WC have to deal with symptoms of them without many tools or options available.

Meanwhile, the claimamts know they will continue to receive their benefits indefinitely unless they commit major or persistent breaches of the conditionality. Because money is such an emotional isdues, thete is a great deal of volatility in the customers. The sanctioning regime just pits the customer against the WC and distracts the WC from the otherside of their role - employability versus compliance.

It only requires the customer to turn up for most of their appointments and be able to show a token amount of engagement to secure a job, if their WC even has any time to check their efforts.

I think the public believe the job centre is for people who are suddenly made redundant or reached the end of a fixed employment period so they just need brief support while they throw actively throw themselves into their work search.

Hardly saw any customers of this type but did come across many who had lived in the country for 10 plus years but couldn't speak English and/or read/write and/or use a computer and/or had never worked and/or were adamant that they should not have to work at all or should only work part time - that was a core part of my caseload. I expect this varies from job centre to job centre.

So I'm not sure that a system that gives customers with complex needs and lots of barriers to employment a 10-20 minute appointment with a WC every 2 weeks is particularly an effective way of dealing with those lacking employment when their benefits continue to be paid regardless.

(For context, many countries that have unemployment benefits either

•

time limit them or

•

the level of payment received or duration of the claim depends on what the claimant previously earned

•

or insist on mandatory English classes for non speakers to receive their benefits

•

or English proficiency before granting residency

•

or have mandatory work/training placements after x period.

Instead, the UK government pays civil servants a modest salary to briefly and occasionally check that unemployed people are moderately complying with very basic conditions for their benefits.

Yes, there are programmes, activities, workshops, job fairs, organisations that can help with employability but most are voluntary and were not suitable to many on my particular caseload.

It's a fairly hamstrung role but I've definitely came across posts on this forum where the WC has a great deal of job satisfaction, pride and achievement in their role.

Come back in 6 months time with your experience.

Reply 7

Dwp62

Original post by AquaBlue85

People will always post the negatives over the positives! But i believe its up to you and what you choose to do with the time that you have… meaning…
You can go to work and let the micromanaging and lack of resources and all the other complaints slowly pick at you
or…
You can go to work knowing you’re only one person and can only do so much in a day with what you have so don’t let it stress you!

Sound more positive but If I opt for the latter won’t management apply pressure ? Thus replacing one stress with another !

Reply 8

PainfulSore

I've applied and taken 2 WC interviews, no results yet. What I'm reading about the role also reinforces my view from the other side of the table. I find my WC's have been ticking boxes, distracted and merely offering feedback like a robot. I have been a professional working for 25 years and only recently unemployed and my view of the 'support' one receives is that the claimants are what they are, but the WC's certainly don't inspire, don't motivate or actually look like they care/enjoy their work. I worked in the NHS so I recognise institutionalised stress and adopted behaviours by disillusioned staff. What I worry about is getting the role and finding that at my time of life I'm feeling burdened by the environment rather than getting into the role and enjoying it.