The final straw that broke the camel's back

Notagran... I am very sorry to read of your company's working practices - little wonder that you are resigning.

I guess that your issues are repeated country-wide, hence exacerbating the problem but who could blame you and your colleagues?

I have heard of people taking private caring jobs, working for one family only. This may be an option for you, rather than be at the beck and call of a voracious money- orientated company seemingly without any regard for its staff. Just an idea.....

I believe that the NHS could be split so private companies will be providing care. If this comes to fruition we had all better watch out.

I hope you find better employment very soon

I was due to ring a hospital secretary on Monday so I presumed they’d be unavailable then so I rang yesterday, only to be told they’re all working in fact, including admin staff. This is at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

This is so unfair -on everyone it seems except your rotten bosses! I hope you find a position where you're fulfilling your great calling to help others and are appreciated too.
My straw? Being told "we need to talk about divorce" on last day of Ibiza holiday with 2 toddlers .it took many years before penny dropped it was a "farewell" holiday supposedly for him, thus his insistence on me doing some nude shots in our private rented villa's pool!!! The bleeding cheek! Divorced 11years later, when I was ready and not before!!

good for you... the cheek!!!

Also hope a lovely job is available for you Notagrannyyet you deserve much better employers... good luck

i worked in home care until i was forced to retire due to health i can under stand how you feel but surely you of all people know that even on bank holidays your clients still need care if your unhappy because you want to watch the queens funeral then can you possibly work around that time even asking you clients if they mind you moving times please reconsider what you are about to do if you love your job a different role may not turn out to be so good

So sorry to hear this. My FIL went into care 12 months ago. The care home was decided for it's dedicated staff and commitment to the residents. There were difficult times due to Covid, and more recently, a lot of the original care staff have left and have been replaced by agency workers. My FIL's care has deteriorated and he has been left alone for long periods at a time. He is immobile and relies to help to visit the bathroom. He is becoming distressed about the night shift people, mostly agency staff who he cannot understand, nor they him. I fear that we may have to move him, which is a shame as he was quite comfortable there, originally. The staff have to work long hours and do a very difficult and unenviable job and should be highly paid for the work that they undertake. It is such a pity that these companies are driving out caring and hard working people, who love the job and replacing with, very often, untrained and detached agency staff. TBH I dread the day when I might need care myself, I shudder to think what will be available then.

It is sad that so many are negative about working in care settings. I did and the value of my input always exceeded any money I got and I got my reward by providing good care to those I looked after but that never did pay the bills. My heart goes out to those who still strive to do their very very best despite the odds. Providing care and profit should never be in the same sentence.
We all know that care is 24/7 even on a bank holiday but to respect and value your staff is vital and sad to say it seem not to be the norm .
Still that age old question of "Who cares for the carers" Its heartbreaking.

Not only are low paid people losing out because of so-called 'mark of respect' closures but all of us tax payers have to pay for the State funeral accorded to the late Queen, additional security for visiting nobs and in due course for the coronation. The whole thing should have been scaled back and paid for by the Royals and the unpaid inheritance tax.

Not everyone can or will have the day off but surely an officially declared holiday and if Bank Holidays are recognised by whatever organisation staff will either be off, have the day later or have enhanced payment. So sad you feel you have no option than to leave. Contact your MP or one in opposition as they are eager to be seen to be helpful and perhaps get a new voter. Private company or not there are laws!

I worked in Domiciliary Care. I had a Diabetic Hypoglycaemia Attack one evening and the Office staff REFUSED to allow me to go home and deal with it because one of them would have to get off their fat backsides and actually do some care work. So I quit on the spot. Best thing I ever did. I would never go back into Social Care. hugs

My final straw was at 18yrs old working as a waitress in a small restaurant with my friend. There were 4 of us on shift, a manager, her niece and us. It was packed and the niece who was a waitress same as us took a 2 hour lunch break with the manager and sat watching us struggle to keep up. Everyone was entitled to half an hour break. My friend asked if they could help and was told not yet and to just get on with it very abruptly.
So we both put on our coats, grabbed our bags and left. It was the middle of the lunch hour but we didn't care or respond to shouts of "where are you going"
Never regretted it.

I left a job as a typist because I 'job-shared' with a lady who worked mornings. I'd originally volunteered for afternoons as I felt the firm would have an easier time getting a morning person. How daft of me to be so co-operative. When she moved on and wasn't to be replaced, I asked if I could swap to mornings, but they refused. No proper reason.

I had barely enough work to keep me busy, was bored out of my skull and generally treated as if I was a brainless idiot anyway (by so-called clever types who'd been to university but could barely write legibly, even their own names) so I'd had enough. My predecessor and replacement all had the same problem. I considered myself well out of it.

@Bearl I have worked weekends and bank holidays in all my jobs except this one.
I took this more senior role precisely because it was 9-5 Monday to Friday .
In my last job I worked every single bank holiday for 2 years!!!
So I am very aware that our clients need care during the Queens funeral.
The problem is that in my role I do not provide essential care I do more legal and compliance work hence not working weekends and being asked to take AL for BHs by the management.
I worked the Jubilee and will work Monday as I do not wish to surrender any more AL, However, since all government departments, local authorities and other agencies that I mainly work with will be closed because their BH are in addition to 24+ days AL it remains to be seen what I will do.

Thank you to everybody for the understanding you have shown. Social care and children's nurseries care for the most vulnerable people in our society and yet is some of the worst paid employment in the country.
I have not had a pay review since 2019 so am still earning the same amount as then. I am working fulltime (as a single person my pay just takes me out of the benefit top up range) and I am very concerned about the rising costs of living I am fortunate and can just about make ends meet as I am frugal but living in fear of the next bill and now this just added to my general feeling of being undervalued by our parent company.

OP. have you looked around as to what is available, with your experience you'd probably be snatched up.

It seems to me your Authority are a bit stingy. Although the pay isn't very good in my county the Social Workers get extra days annual leave for unsocial hours and time off in lieu as well as enhanced wages for work they do on weekends and Bank Holidays. They used to get three days non certificated sick leave but that stopped about 6 years ago. It's a shame that government and local authorities are making it hard. Could you look into working in the private sector, that's what some of our social workers ended up doing or even doing their AMP course. I was only an Administrator on even lower wages but I could see the very good work for little reward that was going on.

My two granddaughters work as carers in a care home and one of them has had enough and has now taken a job with NHS In a large hospital and starting an Open University course with a view to going into nursing. I believe the other granddaughter will follow, what a lose for the care home and all due to bad and uncaring management. I hope you find a job soon with an appreciative company.

So many care workers are not valued. My daughter worked in care and they are so short staffed that she was working a ridiculous number of hours. She caught covid and they persuaded her back to work before she was properly better (easily done as she is so conscientious and caring) resulting in a breakdown. She is now back home with us and slowly getting better, but will not be going back to work in care.

We’ll that’s the Tories for you.

Urmstongran

This is why unions were created. Otherwise the bosses say ‘jump’ and you all say ‘how high?’. Without unions, the balance of power is skewed.

So true. Without union representation the worker is at their mercy.

…and Boris Johnson on leaving his role as Pm stated he’d got social care sorted - don’t tell me he lied to us…

Good lick with your job hunt, your clients will miss you.

Are you in a union, have you thought about applying to the NHS? I am a nurse of 40+ years and never really contemplated strike action before, but! I am in the RCN and they are balloting about strike action. My personal circumstances mean that I’m ok but I will support strike action for people like you and the NHS, enough is definitely enough now! I think this government will have a fight on their hands once the funeral of HM is done

Welshwife

I think the pay scales and what jobs are worth in the U.K. are all upside down. - if we made a list of jobs or professions in order of importance we would get a very different list to those whose job is paid the most. So many people are doing jobs which are very necessary to peoples health and well-being but they do not get the monetary reward they deserve. It is about time there was not such a huge discrepancy between pay scales. Percentage rises are not always fair either. With the cost of living increases we are all paying the same increased costs so perhaps that should trigger a flat increase to wages to address this particular aspect.

Oh well said. Totally agree with you.

My straw came many years ago. I was in my first job, working as a shorthand typist. My younger brother was seriously injured in a fire and it was touch and go whether he would live. I took annual leave two Mondays in a row to spend time with him. (He lived in London me in the Midlands. My boss called me into the office and gave me a lecture on responsibility and priorities. He said that my job came before family. I handed in my notice then and there.

Good for you, I wonder if he had been in the same situation what would have done