My partner has been working for a employment service provider for 14 months. She started as a ‘business coordinator’ which turned out to be a glorified name for a receptionist. She ensures people who are getting benefits are in fact trying to find work, she does the meeting and greeting of clients. Fills out claims when someone gets a job. Slowly her responsibilities have been increasing. Unfortunately when someone’s claim has been cut off and they come to the office upset/angry/abusive she is the first person they see. She’s been spat on, shouted out and threatened. Once with a knife. I can’t count the amount of times she has called me up crying down the phone. I have urged her to find new work but we don’t live in a big town and there’s not much around. She already drives 2 hours a day for this job. I then said she should try and get the agency to hire security as no one should go to work fearing of being assaulted. She sent off an email to the managing director explaining all of the incidents she’s been through and how she doesn’t feel safe at work anymore. They held a meeting at the office to discuss what could be done. The result was ‘post crisis support’, anytime my partner now gets threatened or abused she gets to have a sit down with the managers and talk through what happened… Also she is allowed up to 10 free counselling sessions a year. But that’s not it, she got a $0.75 pay rise…
I am scared for her. I have begged her to quit. I almost make enough money for our family independently and I am in-line for a pay rise in 3 months which would mean we would get by.
The strength of my partner astounds me, she is only 22 we a have a 2 year old baby. We are saving to buy a house but I would still rather her quit and be safe. The last employee in her role made it 2 weeks.