Published on 12, July, 2020
I started a new job last Monday, and after a very frank review with manager on Friday afternoon I'm considering quitting after only a week.
The basic theme of the review was that I'm not showing an aptitude for the work and not engaging with the clients well enough.
I will start by explaining some of my background and situation.
I, unsurprisingly have had long gaps in my employment and need money desperately. And I cannot be choosy! So obvious route is finding paid employment. Any paid job!!!!!
Other routes are trying for more benefits. One debt advisor suggested I apply for PIP. The next three professional advisors ( same week) laughed at the suggestion. Saying that my social skills problems are minisule compared to some people they deal with.
I have and had multiple advisors giving me all types of contradictory advice.
In applying for this job, one of my employment advisors actually changed my answers.
For confidentiality reasons I will not give specific details but the job is full time at the minimum wage and involves supporting people with complex physical/mental needs. Over the past twenty years I've been involved in doing this type of work for family and neighbors, so I am familiar with the issues and can emphasize with most autistics and their problems.
The problems are that I'm not showing enough enthusiasm and the will to get involved in specific tasks while shadowing existing workers. I am too reserved.
And the end of week review was very very negative.
Should I quit? Or turn up tomorrow morning and carry on ?
At the moment I'm intending to continue and apply for other jobs simultaneously. Just doing application for work at local poundstrechter.
I haven't quit yet.
But it's getting worse.
This morning I was called into the general managers office to explain my behaviour over two incidents from Monday.
One is serious the other almost laughable.
The existing staff are openly critical about pay, working conditions and changes to working conditions and bureaucracy. But I was overheard commenting about being surprised about the loudness of the buzzers and how frequently various people keep coming in and out of the flat. The general manager in charge of the complex demanded to know what I meant about the buzzers and people coming and going. And that I was reported to have said it within hearing distance of one of the clients.
The second incident is more serious, I have been accused of sleeping on duty. After an eight hour shift dealing with a disabled woman who has challenging behaviour, she likes to shout, sulk, head butting, sniffing people, licking my arms etc. At change over time we were sitting down watching TV. The client was quiet engrossed in the TV show. The qualified support worker and her replacement were deep in a gossiping session (of no interest to me). My eyes closed for a moment and straight away she shouted at me that sleeping on duty is a sackable offence.
Today I was formally warned that a report about my sleeping is being sent to HR and the offence is very serious.
There are also lots of clear rules and regulations in a written staff handbook which I followed but others ignored.
Main ones are clear warnings about not doing specific tasks unless one has received clear training and has been judged to be competent.
Yet they expected me to get hands on involved straight from the start without training. Like using mechanical lifts and hoists to move clients from bed to wheelchair to baths and toilets etc.
Then there is the rule about being left alone with clients in a flat. Two days ago while shadowing a senior support worker. He made it clear that as an untrained beginner, it was illegal for me to be left alone with vulnerable clients in a flat and I had to leave a flat with him whenever he left.
Yet,. Before that, I had been left alone many times for 5 or 10 minutes at a time, while staff went to other flats as required.
I feel quitting is the best option.
@California is right, don't quit without something else to go to.
Do look for something else though. Get a job offer that is better, and then jump ship.
w.r.t. "sleeping on the job", how long was the moment that your eyes were closed? 10 seconds? Assuming you were not actually asleep, but merely collecting your thoughts after dealing with a challenging client, I think it would make sense to "grab the bull by the horns" and actively seek a few minutes with HR to put your side across - after all, I assume there is a CCTV recording somewhere that backs your version of events? You could ask HR what they thought of the recording. If they have even half a brain they'll see that your eyes only closed for a moment, but someone else was stood nattering for ages.
If HR haven't seen the CCTV recording, you could state your version of events and politely point out that if they have no other sources of data that it is their word against yours.
You can also make the point that briefly closing your eyes posed no risk to the client who was engrossed in the TV (if there had been a risk, the qualified support worker would not have been able to stand there nattering, right?).
Unfortunately, if you have just started a position, most employers are able to let you go within your probationary period without even informing you of a reason - and this is why it's rather surprising that you are receiving quite so much attention. It is almost as if they want you to quit rather than have to fill out the paperwork required for a termination.
Actually, in 13 years in care in both residential and day centre settings, I've never yet worked anywhere where CCTV has been installed. There are all kinds of issues regarding privacy, dignity, confidentiality, etc. A properly-run place, with properly vetted staff, shouldn't need it. On the other hand, I take your point. In my first job, abuse was institutionalised, so it needed a few of us to record incidents and make statements to CQC (or CSCI as it was then) to get action. There's been a lot of tightening up in the light of exposures like at Winterbourne View... but sadly, it still goes on. Another point, of course, is that not all abuse is 'visible'. Psychological abuse, emotional abuse, etc. Some abuse is also unintentional. Such as, in my last job, unnecessarily aversive action being taken against an autistic person due to inadequate staff knowledge of ASC.
It needs good, vigilant people and a more rigorous selection process for care staff - such as they have in countries like Canada. In this country, anyone with a basic education and a clean criminal record (or, at least, with no convictions of a sexual nature, or relating to serious abuse charges) can get a job in care. The sector is desperately short of staff, and because the pay is generally very low it often attracts (I hate to say it, but it's true) people who can't get a job anywhere else. They aren't always suitable people.
Having said all of that, I think the matter of CCTV is under review.
Legal issues regarding the use of CCTV in care homes
No CCTV? Sounds like another place that'll be in the news in the not too distant future, then.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/08/somerset-care-home-staff-bullied-autistic-residents-review-finds