Well, I've done it again!

[Anonymouse]

"It" meaning I was dismissed on the 3rd from a job I'd grown to detest anyway, and on the 23rd I started a new job which I much prefer!

No more American-style (100+ kilo) fridge freezers - the heaviest thing we're expected to lift is a pallet! No more handling scrap appliances! Best of all, no more overgrown kids giving lip to their elders and betters, and messing about when they should be working!

There is much more to being an adult than just turning 18. Most of the young lads taken on at that place are not aware of this. One idiot, for example, sprayed a colleague with sanitising gel - which of course is alcohol-based. Poor bugger was stopped by the police on his way home on a random check and breathalysed. Thoughtless or what?

Still, that's all over now. I've been working with a couple of young but ADULT lads who don't mess about but get on with the work, as they should.

The only kicker is the hellish commute...it's in Thurnscoe. I live in Bolton. Urgh. My trainer's looking into this; there's a possibility I could be transferred to the Trafford Park site, a much more reasonable commute. Here's hoping.

But I've discovered the people of Thurnscoe are very very nice! Three times I've relied on the kindness of strangers, and three times I've been helped out!

To explain:

First, on my way home after my successful induction, it started to rain - and I didn't have waterproofs because the weather had been perfectly fine. I decided under the circumstances that I couldn't be bothered cycling from the site to the train station, so I popped into a shop and asked if anyone knew a taxi firm number. A bloke offered to give me a lift! Result!

Then, on my first night, I discovered I wasn't as sure of the cycle route as I'd thought, and I didn't want to be late, so I went into the Dragon House takeaway and asked the young lady behind the counter if she knew a taxi firm's number. She did, and I got there in good time.

Last night the trains messed me around (as I'm sure we all know, this is not unusual) and I arrived in Thurnscoe about 21:30 - but I was due to start my shift at 22:00 and I wasn't certain I could make the distance in time (20 or even 10 years ago I would've chanced it, but now...well). Not to worry, I thought, I'll ring Venture Taxis -

Uh, no, I won't, I discovered...I'd forgotten my phone.

But the Dragon House came to my rescue again; the bloke behind the counter rang them for me, and I got there in time (barely).

I hope these three are typical Thurnscoe citizens!

A few observations:

1. Congratulations on your new job.
2. You’re even more nuts than I thought, if you’re doing that commute by train for shifts starting at all hours ... I’m amazed you can make all the connections you need to, at that time of night.
3. In my experience, people generally take you as they find you. So you obviously come across as a trustworthy, pleasant person who deserves assistance.
4. In my experience, (3) does not apply anywhere within a 30 mile radius of Trafalgar Square.
5. You don’t get to tell us you got fired, and not tell us how. Spill!

[Anonymouse]

It was a stupid preventable accident on my part. As part of the job we had to load an empty trailer with scrap appliances, to be taken to the vast Telford depot to be recycled. These include tall fridge freezers - but the trailers are double-deckers, so you have to load the top deck, raise it and load the bottom deck.
But some fridge freezers are too tall to be left stood up because they'd be crushed against the roof when you raise the deck, so they have to be laid down. The usual procedure is just to push the thing over and let it fall, and I did.
But there was another bloke ahead of me, I think he was placing a shorter freezer. At the moment I pushed the f/f over I swear he wasn't there, then suddenly he was, and the falling appliance caught his lower leg. Thankfully he only sustained bruises and soft tissue damage.
But the company's view was that I didn't pay due care and attention, which of course is a health & safety issue, and that was classed as misconduct.
They're right, which is why I decided not to appeal. It was a stupid mistake brought on by a moment's inattention. But really my only regret is that someone accidentally got hurt; I was seriously thinking of leaving anyway for a variety of reasons. All this did was remove the element of choice.

As for the commute, well, yes, it is wearing, but I've done a similar long haul before: from Bolton to Crewe. I'll manage, plus there's that transfer possibility. Until then, I'll just slog on.

Anyway, having a job with a dreadful commute is better by far than spending 35 hours a week looking for work, which is the primary criterion for Universal Credit. It's ridiculous in this day and age of mostly online searches; you can't spend 35 hours p/w doing that because it simply doesn't take that long. But it's that or fail to qualify, so...

At least this time I was only out of work a couple of weeks; last time it took me a few years to get a steady job.

[Hom3r]

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

Anyway, having a job with a dreadful commute is better by far than spending 35 hours a week looking for work, which is the primary criterion for Universal Credit. It's ridiculous in this day and age of mostly online searches; you can't spend 35 hours p/w doing that because it simply doesn't take that long. But it's that or fail to qualify, so...

At least this time I was only out of work a couple of weeks; last time it took me a few years to get a steady job.

How do they expect you to search for a job effectively 8 hours a day?

When I worked I rarely worked solid, I would have gaps where I did SFA, even more so before I was furloughed, then made redundant.

I have 15 online agencies on the go which email me alerts once or twice a day.

I go through the e-mails and check the jobs when I get up, of which many are way outside the area or job title I selected.

Then do a double check on the sites, that takes 3 hours tops, I then check when I get alert emails.

[Anonymouse]

I honestly don't know how they can expect it, nor do I know if they actually enforce it. Owing to Covid-19, you don't even go to a jobcentre; all contact is via email, phone and the UC website where you leave messages and post details of jobs you've applied for, plus anything else you're doing to find work.

Anyway, that's all over for me now!