Autism, Employment and Universal Credit

yes they will sanction you. Look for another job while in this job thats all you can really do I guess.

I emphasize with you.

I was sent by my job centre advisor to an organisation called Reed in partnership.  I was told that these people 'get results.'

There, we were told to lie about our health, experience, qualifications etc.  Everything, just to find employment and to get us off benefits.

I asked my Reed advisor, what happens if I end up in a job that I'm totally unsuitable for and unable to do?  Her reply was, 'That's somebody else's problem'.

They did help me find a job, after five months I was sacked for being unsuitable and not disclosing my health problems on my original  application.

ah i been on loads myself, the worst one i had was a local one called "work solutions". i had this old guy who treated me like a criminal and hated me. kept threatening me saying he can get me kicked off benefits and he is in control not even giving a reason, saying he can just ring in and get me removed from benefits without even a reason. also kept treating me like a child too despite being a adult and threatening to tell my parents all sort of *** about me in some odd attempt at blackmail too lmao which is funny because im a adult and theyd have found that weird and theyd probably have gave him *** for that. still got to me though, i guess he kept doing *** like that perhaps because maybe it gave away a effect on my face, dunno, i always consider my face emotionless, but if it does infact show emotion then i get very emotional so it could have shown perhaps which then could have made him feel he has a effect.... although its a bit careless of them because when you push me to max of emotions i generally want to harm the person that caused it, he was walking a tight rope with me. if i did emotionally break id have harmed him right there and then in order to overlap the pathetic emotions with less pathetic violence and anger.

They will sanction you. The disability employment advisors are as bad as decision maker at The DWP and they may step in and force you back onto an poorly manged employment scheme in return for you keeping your benefits. 

What employment programme have you been on because i have so far had same experience with The Shawtrust, Nova, & YMCA training,

ah they hassle you on PIP as much as they do on job seekers then?

In 2019 I was persuaded to do voluntary work at the BHF warehouse.  The work was so physically demanding that after six months I was in severe pain in the knees and unable to either walk or get out of bed.  The doctor diagnosed torn muscles and tendons below my knee.  Apparently it's very common in professional tennis players.  The treatment is pain killers and rest.

Virtually all my experience was voluntary. It serves a purpose, but untimely we need a wage.

The problem is that the system is rigged to reward dependence, and punish independence. Look up Modern Monetary Theory. Money printed willy-nilly to Jack up the defecit.

Once the sale of the family home and land completes, I'll let go of my reapplication for PIP. It's too much effort, for too little reward.

The chances are you would initially be seen as having deliberately made yourself unemployed, which means you'd have to wait the mandatory amount of time required before receiving any UC. However, there are ways around it. Go and speak to your GP (preferably one you get on with, and who knows you), and explain your situation to him. Make sure s/he realised that there's a tremendous mental pressure placed on you with the job you're in currently, mention depression and anything else that's really troubling you about it. Then ask for a fit note (used to be called a sick note) to cover you whilst you find more suitable employment. Once you've got a fit note you can leave your job and immediately apply, and receive, benefits. I've just been through something similar with my partner. The fit note is crucial.

You *could* just leave and hope that they take a lenient view, which they might eventually, given the circumstances. But that will take time, possibly weeks, and in the meantime you'll have no money coming in. 

not sure, i dont think they can really sanction you for it as they have to have some leeway that not every job is for everyone and forcing people into jobs they dont like against their will is most probably against anti-slavery laws and acts lol

they tried to force me one time to do voluntary work, which again forcing you to work for free kinda sounds like slavery, i ditched the place they sent me to and they tried to make it sound like they could sanction me over it for the purpose of trying to strong arm and threat me into these things, but they couldnt. all they can do is threat and intimidate you with it, but they cant do it, because they are not allowed to do that to force you into anything as it breaks many slavery laws. but they will try to make out they can do all sorts, because the job center are thugs and usually resort to intimidation and threats and blackmail to try force you to do what they want.

Hi Alan,

Sorry to hear about that job become too overwhelming. I'm not sure specifically about how the job program you are wiith will handles things but I have some links to other job related stuff that might be of interest to you

The British Association of Supported Employment, who have a database of supported employment agencies, so you can search for one in your local area: www.base-uk.org

Remploy, an organisation which supports people with disabilities and those experiencing complex barriers to work, into mainstream employment: www.remploy.co.uk

 https://myplusstudentsclub.com/ is also a good website to look at. It is a site on which employers advertise their opportunities for people with disabilities and they also provide information about disability and inclusive practices within their organisations. This is a good way to identify companies which will be keen to put in place reasonable adjustments for interviews and throughout employment. 

I have also included a link to our job-page – https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/work-for-us Within this page you can click on our job and volunteering page to find out about our current employment and volunteering opportunities with The National Autistic Society. We particularly welcome applications from autistic people.

Volunteering can often be a good way to gain relevant experience and skills for future employment. Your local volunteer centre may be able to assist with finding a volunteer placement. You can search for volunteer placements on https://do-it.org/ 

Finally, you can find more information about seeking a job, and about your rights in work here: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/employment 

Hopfeully these links can help!

SarahMod